Andrei Kuzmenko has chosen the Vancouver Canucks.
The Canucks and the Russian winger’s agent, Dan Milstein, jointly confirmed Monday that Kuzmenko intends to sign with the team. He’ll be eligible to officially sign when free agency opens on July 13.
“I have been watching Andrei since his 2014.15 season and have been impressed with his development and improvement on the ice,” said Canucks general manager Patrick Allvin. “Once the contract details are finalized, we look forward to welcoming him to the Canucks organization and helping him continue to grow as a hockey player.”
“We would like to thank all the teams that we met with for their time and interest,” said Milstein. “We were impressed by what the Canucks organization wants to accomplish and the winning culture they are building. Andrei felt a good connection with the management team and is looking forward to playing for Bruce Boudreau.”
Kuzmenko also posted a picture on Instagram of himself in a Canucks jersey.
The 26-year-old had 20 goals and 53 points in 45 games with SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League in 2021-22.
Kuzmenko, who was never drafted into the NHL, added seven goals and seven assists in 16 playoff contests.
He reportedly visited a handful of teams interested in his services before deciding on the Canucks.
Kuzmenko spent eight seasons playing in the Russian-based KHL, including the last four with St. Petersburg after beginning his career with CSKA Moscow.
The five-foot-11, 194-pound native of Yakutsk, Russia, played for his country at the 2016 world juniors, but didn’t register a point in seven games.