HOT: Kuzmenko's agent reveals what they're looking for in the next deal

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Felip Gosselin
January 25, 2023 (5:05 PM)

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Kuzmenko signed a one-year entry-level contract over the summer and the 42 points he's gotten over 46 games will surely cause a major upgrade in his $950K AAV. The Canucks have not yet determined whether or not they have the means to keep him, but they surely intend on doing every possible thing to re-sign the winger.

Kuzmenko's agent Dan Milstein was back on Donnie and Dhali today and revealed precious information about his client's future in Vancouver. He started off with a reassuring quote :

"Andrei absolutely loves Vancouver and the fans, it is my job to try and work out a deal, I am hopeful we can get something done."

Rick Dhaliwal then asked what was the next step. Milstein affirmed that both camps had met last week in Florida. Per his saying, Andrei selected the Canucks for a reason and he'd like to remain in Vancouver. He advanced that the ground rules had been set and that it only took one call to get it done. Milstein then went on to add what they were aiming for in this next deal :

"To be honest, at this point in time, the salary cap is going to go up in a couple of years the sample size isn't great. At the moment Andrei has only played under what 45 games. The preference is to probably do a very short bridge deal, ..., and take it from there."

It had already been rumored what Kuzmenko's AAV might look like and Kevin Weekes of TSN also confirmed the info :

"I'm told per Van F Kuzmenko's camp, they've had discussions on contract extension, no urgency, but on a potential bridge deal, it could land on 2 years, 5-6M AAV. Situation remains fluid."

Though we're starting to believe that the Andrei Kuzmenko signing might depend on how the Horvat situation unfolds, the Canucks are already searching for money to give to either one of them. Unless they find a way to dump a player with a meaningful AAV (ie: Brock Boeser, Tyler Myers, Conor Garland). It'll be impossible to keep them both.

My guess is once Horvat is dealt, Kuzmenko will simultaneously get his new deal. At this point, it still looks like the Canucks think they're going to re-sign Horvat. If you absolutely have to make a choice between Kuzmenko and Horvat, who's your pick?