I really love Kuzmenko, but Scorp is right - pump and dump. If he was 25 or so, I would definitely entertain the notion of re-signing him, but it just doesn't make sense. I doubt that he would want to stay here anyway unless it was for an overpayment - Flames are not going to be a fun environment to play in for a while, even if he is having personal success here.
I hope he lights it up next year to the point he returns a first, but that's probably unlikely.
As for him being a PP specialist, that's ok. Those goals count equally to those scored 5on5. I would bet that if you outplay your opponents 5on5, but lose the special teams battle, you often lose the game. You don't realize how valuable the PP is until your PP is awful and kills your own momentum while breathing life into the opposition.
I also think that having a strong PP helps to keep the other team a bit more honest, sort of like carrying a tough guy. It won't necessarily always stop the shenanigans, but at least it gives you the opportunity to punish the other team a little and make them think twice next time.
|