Tocchet has been harsh on his forward since he's been trying to rope him into his systems and culture. Kuzmenko hasn't been scoring as much as he had last year, and apart from his scoring, his contribution to the team has been close to none.
A close source to the team, Rob Williams, reflected on Kuzmenko's reaction, and it says a lot about both parties:
Known to be an agent who isn't scared to ask for trades out, like it happened with Zadorov, both the team and the player's attitude suggest that they are looking to build from it and aren't looking to part ways.
The fact that Kuzmenko still shows a good attitude powerfully demonstrates his willingness to improve and work on his game. At this point, there is no indication that he'll be back in the line-up before the Canucks' game against the Sharks. Still, it would be a good opportunity for Kuzmenko to jump back in, especially after the team struggled offensively and on the power play.
