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Russian winger Andrei Kuzmenko to sign with Canucks: player, agent

Free agent reportedly visited handful of interested teams before deciding on the Canucks.
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Martin Gernat of Slovakia, right, and Andrei Kuzmenko of Russia fight for a puck during the Ice Hockey World Championship group A match between the Slovakia and Russia at the Olympic Sports Center in Riga, Latvia, Monday, May 24, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Roman Koksarov

Andrei Kuzmenko has chosen the Canucks.

The Russian winger’s agent, Dan Milstein, tweeted Monday his client intends to sign with Vancouver when free agency opens July 13.

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.

—The Canadian Press

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