The Pittsburgh Penguins came to terms on a one-year deal with scoring winger Andrei Kuzmenko, whose four-year NHL tenure has been rattled by injuries.
Even if the Pittsburgh Penguins aren't about to hand out any overpays in NHL free agency, that never meant they would avoid signings that could help the team in the short-term and in the long-term.
And they made another move on Day One of free agency that definitely addresses the short-term.
On Wednesday, the Penguins inked winger Andrei Kuzmenko to a one-year, $5 million deal. Kuzmenko, 30, was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings at the trade deadline in 2025 and stayed there through the end of the 2025-26 season, recording 18 goals and 42 points in 74 games during that time.
The undrafted Russian forward has yet to repeat his standout rookie campaign with the Vancouver Canucks in 2022-23, when he put up an impressive 39 goals and 74 points in 81 games. Injuries, inconsistency, and lack of placement have inhibited him from reaching higher potential, and the latest in the injury saga came last season when he had surgery to repair a torn meniscus.
Still, even at 30, there is some upside potential to Kuzmenko if he can remain healthy. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound forward is a threat to score goals and is a nice power play piece, giving the Penguins options in their middle-six. He is also capable of playing both wings, but the left-shot has preferred the right wing throughout his career.
The situation isn't too much different from winger Anthony Mantha, who had season-ending ACL surgery in 2024-25 with the Calgary Flames and enjoyed a career year in Pittsburgh last season with 33 goals and 64 points in 81 games.
The addition of Kuzmenko adds to an already-crowded crop of forwards, as the Penguins also added restricted free agents Hendrix Lapierre and Nicholas Robertson. According to Puckpedia, without the three RFAs in Lapierre, Robertson, and Chinakhov, the Penguins already have 13 forward listed on their NHL roster, which includes Avery Hayes and Rutger McGroarty.
With young forwards like Hayes and McGroarty pushing for roster spots from the AHL, it will be interesting to see if Pittsburgh decides to move on from one or more veterans on their NHL roster.
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