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Andrei Kuzmenko is a Russian NHL forward whose breakout came with Vancouver in 2022–23: he scored 39 goals and 74 points in 81 games, career highs in each category. After stints with Calgary, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, he signed a one-year contract with Pittsburgh for 2026–27. His most recent reported status is a leave of absence to be with family in Russia, reported September 24, 2026; no return date has been established.
Who is Andrei Kuzmenko?
Kuzmenko is a Russian forward who reached the NHL as an undrafted free agent. Vancouver signed him in 2022 after he had spent eight seasons in the KHL with CSKA Moskva and SKA St. Petersburg. He later played for Calgary, Philadelphia and Los Angeles before Pittsburgh signed him on July 1, 2026, for one year through the 2026–27 season, at a $5 million average annual value. Pittsburgh’s announcement gives his career totals through the 2025–26 season.
How has his NHL career progressed?
Kuzmenko’s first NHL season remains his statistical peak. His totals since joining the league show both changes in production and the importance of considering games played and team context.
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| Season | Team | Games | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | Vancouver | 81 | 39 | 35 | 74 |
| 2023–24 | Vancouver | 43 | 8 | 13 | 21 |
| 2023–24 | Calgary | 29 | 14 | 11 | 25 |
| 2024–25 | Calgary | 37 | 6 | 9 | 15 |
| 2024–25 | Philadelphia | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 2024–25 | Los Angeles | 22 | 7 | 10 | 17 |
| 2025–26 | Los Angeles | 52 | 13 | 12 | 25 |
The figures are NHL regular-season totals from the league’s season-by-season stats page. In 2023–24, he was traded from Vancouver to Calgary in January. The totals do not by themselves explain why his production varied; games played, role, opportunity and power-play use are relevant context.
#1 Best Overall
- Kings
- Andrei Kuzmenko
Breakout season: Vancouver, 2022–23
Kuzmenko scored 39 goals and recorded 74 points in 81 games in his rookie NHL season. Those remain his career highs for goals, assists, points and games played. The 39-goal total made him a major scoring contributor in Vancouver.
Changes of team and role
In 2023–24, he recorded 21 points in 43 games for Vancouver and 25 points in 29 games after moving to Calgary. In 2024–25, he split the season among Calgary, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. These partial-season totals should be read alongside the number of games, rather than treated as direct like-for-like full-season comparisons.
Rank #2
- Calgary
- Andrei Kuzmenko
Most recent completed season
For Los Angeles in 2025–26, Kuzmenko had 13 goals and 12 assists in 52 games. Eight of his goals came on the power play, leading the Kings in that category, according to the team’s 2026 contract announcement.
What are his career NHL and KHL stats?
Through the end of the 2025–26 NHL regular season, Kuzmenko had 182 points—85 goals and 97 assists—in 271 games. In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he had six points, three goals and three assists, in seven games. Before the NHL, he recorded 200 points (85 goals, 115 assists) in 315 KHL regular-season games from 2014 to 2022 with CSKA Moskva and SKA St. Petersburg. Pittsburgh’s signing announcement and Los Angeles’s release report these career figures.
Rank #3
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- Andrei Kuzmenko
- Vancouver Canucks
- NHL Hockey Card
- Raw - NM or Better
His KHL recognition included Forward of the Month for December 2021 and selection to the KHL First All-Star Team for 2021–22. Internationally, the Kings identify him as a silver medalist with Russia at the 2015 World Junior Championship. Pittsburgh’s later announcement gives a conflicting year, so the year here follows the Kings’ release rather than repeating the disputed date.
How does Andrei Kuzmenko play?
Former Vancouver coach Bruce Boudreau described Kuzmenko as an unusually skilled puck handler and a scoring forward. Boudreau said: “From the (face-off) circles down, he’s as good as there is handling pucks, a typical Russian sniper.” This is a coach’s assessment, not a standardized scouting rating.
Rank #4
- Los Angeles
- Andrei Kuzmenko
Boudreau also said Kuzmenko needed time to adapt to the North American game and to work harder at both ends of the ice: “It took him a while to learn the North American game and to realize you have to work a little harder at both ends of the ice.” Boudreau discussed how role and opportunity shaped the forward’s assignments, including important top-line roles in Vancouver and later Los Angeles. These observations describe a coach’s experience; they do not establish a measured defensive weakness. The comments appear in an NHL feature.
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What is his current status with Pittsburgh?
Pittsburgh signed Kuzmenko for the 2026–27 season on July 1, 2026. On September 24, NHL.com reported that he had taken a leave of absence following his father’s death and traveled to Russia to be with family. The report did not establish a return date, so his availability should not be assumed. NHL.com’s September 24 report is the latest cited update.
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- 2025-26 NHL Hockey Card
- Andrei Kuzmenko
- Los Angeles Kings
- Upper Deck O-Pee-Chee Blue Border
- Raw - NM or Better
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