Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas was one of the general managers that was active on day one of free agency on July 1. So much so that he pretty much replaced 33 goal scorer Anthony Mantha, who is not re-signing with the Penguins with former Los Angeles Kings forward Andrei Kuzmenko.
The Penguins announced on X that they signed Kuzmenko to a one-year deal.
Kuzmenko is coming off of a season for the Kings where he appeared in 52 games for LA where he totaled 13 goals and 12 assists in those 52 games. Kuzmenko got hurt in the middle of the season which explains why he did not play the full season for the Kings.
Kuzmenko is now on his way to Pittsburgh where he joins the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and others in the Steel City. And with Kuzmenko on his way to Pittsburgh, one of his former Vancouver Canucks teammates could join him if Dubas could pull off the deal.
Elias Pettersson Could Use a Change of Scenery in Pittsburgh
It is widely known around the league that the Canucks forward is ready for a change somewhere else and would like to be traded. And a team that would fit perfectly for Pettersson, is the Penguins.
But a deal involving the Canucks star could prove tricky for Dubas. Pettersson still has six years left on his current contract and an average annual value of 11.6 million dollars to go with it.
That type of money and term left on his contract could prove to be a deal that is hard to make for the Penguins general manager. Dubas would likely request that the Canucks retain salary on Pettersson’s contract and possibly take back a bad contract from the Penguins in defenseman Ryan Graves.
If the Canucks are interested in taking Graves back as part of the compensation along with a few draft picks and a prospect, the deal could work. It just depends on what the Canucks are looking for, but Pettersson would work out well as a reclamation project in the Steel City.
Andrei Kuzmenko Played With Pettersson in Vancouver
Kuzmenko and Pettersson were teammates in Vancouver and even played on the same line back in the 2019 season and were dominant as a duo. So much so that Kuzmenko potted 39 goals in that season and Pettersson potted 27.
It seems like a match made in heaven that if Kuzmenko is in Pittsburgh and the two played well together in Vancouver, that Pettersson come join him in Pittsburgh. It is just a matter of if Dubas can pull off a deal with the Canucks.
The Canucks would be headed for a rebuild if they were to trade Pettersson
With the Canucks trading superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild at last year’s NHL Trade Deadline, a trade of Pettersson would further cement a need for a rebuild. The team that the Canucks had in previous years where they were in the playoffs, is no more.
Especially knowing that they do not have a lot of good players on their roster anymore, the Canucks would badly need a rebuild. The Canucks finished at the bottom of the NHL standings last year as well so a rebuild is bound to happen.
It would be accelerated or fans would know the Canucks’ stance if they were to offload Pettersson. If the two teams could strike a deal, it would benefit both sides.
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