The forward Andrei Kuzmenko was traded by the Vancouver Canucks to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Elias Lindholm a little over two months ago.
He has been an offensive force that has regained his goal-scoring touch in his brief time as a Flame, and through 27 games played, he has scored 14 goals and collected 24 points. His short tenure has not been disappointing. Kuzmenko has scored 15 points in his last nine games, demonstrating a recent hot streak.
Is it shocking that a player who previously scored 39 goals is finding the back of the net? He is scoring goals, which is what he does well. Kuzmenko played a ridiculous amount of hockey in his first season as a Canuck. After 81 games, he had 39 goals and 74 points. It is impressive and deserving of much recognition to be just one goal short of forty in your NHL debut.
The issue is that Kuzmenko is a one-dimensional player; aside from his ability to produce offensively and his skill in the offensive zone and around the net, he has a lot of weak points in his game. Although he is a player you would love to have on your power play or as a net-front presence, he can not be counted on when it comes to back-checking, positioning himself well in the defensive zone, or even making a smart, safe play out of the zone. We saw how that worked out for him in Vancouver under Rick Tocchet, whose system places a premium on defense and taking care of your own zone first.