Kuzmenko is a real wild card in this deal, and I think some people may be premature in dismissing him as a cap dump.
We only have 2 seasons to go on: 74 points last year, and a 40 point pace this year. Those are 2 different players, so which is it? I think many people put too much weight on the current season - players have good and bad years, and the 'truth' is usually somewhere in between.
Was last year a heater with a high shooting percentage? No doubt, there is some truth to that. But he put up 39 goals in the NHL, and that is not something to be simply ignored.
Obviously, he isn't having the same kind of success this year. Is that because last year is a fluke? Or is it more likely that he isn't fitting in with the new coach's plans/systems? That seems more likely to me, at least as part of the story.
$5.5M is a pretty significant cap hit - similar to Mangiapane, and they are in similar situations in that they are not performing to that cap hit this year. Is Mangiapane a cap dump? I certainly don't think so. IMO, Kuzmenko is a good comparable to Mangiapane. And I think both can be useful guys, that can provide useful production, in the right situation.
So I think it's good that he has another year on his contract, because the Flames can give him a full season to see what he really is, and then either sign him, or trade him at next year's deadline, when he will have more vale than now, because his cap hit won't be a problem at the deadline.
tl/dr: Kuzmenko is an asset, not a cap dump
|