Penguins Bet $5 Million That Andrei Kuzmenko Can Find His 39-Goal Form Again

The Pittsburgh Penguins kicked off NHL free agency by signing Andrei Kuzmenko to a one-year deal worth $5 million, according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. It’s the kind of low-risk, high-reward move this franchise has gotten comfortable with.

Kuzmenko is a long way from the guy who scored 39 goals as a rookie with Vancouver in 2022-23. Since then, he’s bounced around to four different teams and managed just 46 goals in 190 games. That’s not what anyone expected when he burst onto the scene. But the Penguins are betting that version of Kuzmenko is still in there somewhere.

Here’s the thing about last season’s Penguins team. They snuck into the playoffs — surprising just about everyone — and gave the Flyers a real fight in the first round before losing. A big reason for that run was Anthony Mantha, who put up a career-best 33 goals. But Mantha hit the open market and the Penguins chose not to bring him back. Instead, they’re rolling the dice on a player who’s been inconsistent but has shown flashes of elite scoring ability.

Kuzmenko was actually with the Kings last season before Los Angeles went out and signed Mats Zuccarello and Erik Haula on Wednesday. That left Kuzmenko available for Kyle Dubas to scoop up, and he didn’t waste any time. Dubas has made a habit of finding value in players who aren’t commanding top dollar, and this fits that pattern perfectly.

The Penguins are still built around Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang. Malkin re-signing this offseason wasn’t a sure thing when the season ended, so getting him back was huge. But Dubas also has to think about the future, and a one-year deal gives him flexibility. If Kuzmenko works out, great. If he doesn’t, the Penguins aren’t stuck with a long-term anchor.

One weird footnote: Kuzmenko actually played seven games for the Flyers last season during a quick stop between trades. So he got a brief taste of that rivalry from the other side before landing in Pittsburgh. Now he’s heading to Western Pennsylvania for what should be a longer stay.

The big question is whether Dan Muse and Crosby can get Kuzmenko back to that 2022-23 form. Because if they can, this $5 million bet might look like a steal. If not, it’s just another head-scratcher in a career that’s been full of them lately.

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