The term “second season syndrome” is widely used in professional sports «. It is applicable both to specific athletes and teams that spend their second year in a certain championship worse than their debut. Andrei Kuzmenko also became a victim of this very “syndrome.”
The Russian striker powerfully burst into the NHL last season, instantly becoming the leader of the Vancouver Canucks and the favorite of the club’s large army of fans. In 81 matches of his first NHL regular season in his career, Andrei scored 74 points, and with 39 goals he shared the title of the team's best sniper with Elias Pettersson and even broke Pavel Bure's record for the number of goals in his debut season for the Canucks. If not for age restrictions, Kuzmenko could have competed for the title of best rookie in the league.
The Russian’s business in North America went uphill so quickly that his successes were quickly assessed: already in January 2023, Andrei signed a new contract with Vancouver for a period of two years and a total amount of $11 million. This agreement, by its terms, was regarded as a bridge contract. It was expected that Kuzmenko would continue to shine in Vancouver and be able to earn a big contract. A year later, these expectations already seem too high.
The new NHL season turned out very sadly for Kuzmenko. The Russian striker scored only 21 points (8 goals and 13 assists) in 43 championship matches and had several unpleasant streaks without scoring points. The longest is 10 matches. Andrei's average playing time on the court has also decreased. All this was the obvious result of Kuzmenko's work under the leadership of Rick Tocchet. The Russian came into his own in the NHL under the former Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau, but his working relationship with the team’s new head coach did not work out. The new Vancouver helmsman periodically tossed Andrei from one line to another, breaking his connection with Pettersson, and for some time even removed him from the bench.
- «He wants to score so badly that he forgets about other aspects of the game. He needs to reboot. I hope he opens up and does his job,» Tocquette explained.
- “Kuzmenko has lost confidence in himself. Andrei is a good player who can score. I have no doubt that he will do this in Vancouver. Or in another NHL club,” added Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford.
However, Kuzmenko failed to open up under his wing. Even the presence of Sergei Gonchar on the Vancouver coaching staff did not help Andrey. As a result, the Russian found himself at a crossroads: either accept these rules of the game, or agree to change. It was the second option that received development.
At the end of last year in North America they increasingly began to talk about a possible exchange of Kuzmenko from Vancouver. And although the hockey player’s side did not confirm these rumors, today they have turned into real facts. Andrey moved from Vancouver to Calgary. The Russian became part of a big deal between the Canucks and the Flames to exchange Swedish forward Elias Lindholm. And this is a very interesting exchange from all sides: Vancouver received a quality forward and increased its representation at the upcoming NHL All-Star Game in Toronto, and Calgary, which recently said goodbye to Russian defenseman Nikita Zadorov (exchanged to the Canucks) , now welcomes another hockey player from Russia. It is also notable that the Flames were on the list of teams to which Kuzmenko was traded, under the terms of his contract, which was prohibited. The Russian eventually refused this ban.
Probably, for Andrei this is an opportunity to restart his career in the NHL at an early stage. How, for example, Yegor Sharangovich managed to do this. The Belarusian forward showed remarkable promise in Calgary after moving from the New Jersey Devils. Although there is no need to dramatize the situation. As noted earlier, no one is immune from the “second season syndrome”. Kuzmenko simply needs to overcome this period. The Russian will only turn 28 the other day, and he still has a long way to go. And adapting to current difficulties will be even easier in a club that does not live in hopes of any great achievements. Unlike Vancouver, which is trying to make some noise in the playoffs.
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