The NHL Trade Deadline has now passed and the Los Angeles Kings would end up making only one trade on Friday. There was certainly some hope that the Kings would be able to add a big-name player like Mikko Rantanen or even Alex Tuch, but those trades never materialized.
However, the Kings were able to address some of their needs with a low-risk move with the Philadelphia Flyers by adding forward Andrei Kuzmenko. This is actually the second time that Kuzmenko has been traded, as he was traded to the Flyers by the Calgary Flames at the end of January. It is also the second consecutive team that Kuzmenko has been traded during the season.
In three seasons in the NHL, the Los Angeles Kings will be the fourth team he has played with him starting with the Vancouver Canucks. As a rookie, he had an incredible season with 39 goals and 35 assists due to a league-leading shooting percentage of 27.3%. Last season between the Canucks and Calgary Flames he had struggled a bit but still finished with 22 goals and 24 assists.
It was a slow start this season for Kuzmenko, with only four goals and 11 assists in the first 37 games of the season with the Flames. However, he was much more productive with the Flyers and, in seven games, had two goals and three assists.
Trade Grade for the Los Angeles Kings adding Andrei Kuzmenko: B+
While the trade isn't going to make a big splash, it was a low-risk move that makes a lot of sense for what the Kings needed. He is a player who can likely line up in the middle-six and be a right-handed scorer who knows how to finish. It is unlikely to expect that Kuzmenko can return to what he did as a rookie, but he has shown some flashes of that over the last month with the Flyers.
If he does, it is a huge win for the Los Angeles Kings but if not then it only cost them a third round pick in a few years and he is a free agent after this season.