Filatov had some thoughts about Kuzmenko. It mostly echos what we've discussed here.
Here's my translation:
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Filatov
You don't just score 39 goals in this league. Clearly, last season Kuzmenko had more trust from the coaching staff, and better partners. That said, you can't ignore the fact that Kuzmenko had a bad first half of the season. He did get to play in the top 9 all season, and got to play with a guy like Pettersson. Despite that, he only had 21 points in 43GP. The biggest questions surrounding Kuzmenko are: would he be able to get his confidence back? and how well do the Flames coaches understand his strengths. Obviously, they should also be aware of his weaknesses, which were highlighted by the first half of the season. It would all depend on how long of a leash he gets from the coaching staff. A skilled winger that's not defensively sound is nothing new. It remains to be seen how the Flames coach will integrate him into his system.
I hope that Calgary did their research, and would try to do everything to help Andrei play to his strengths. I don't have any doubt that Kuzmenko is a very talented winger, so I'll be keeping my eye on him.
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Russian Source
Another article mentioned that Kuzmenko had difficulty adapting from an east-west style of play to a more north-south style of play demanded by Tocchet. That resulted in a lot of frustration from Tocchet, multiple benching and even a healthy scratch. I knew Kuzmenko was in the dog house, but I didn't realize he was healthy scratched under Tocchet.