Andrei Kuzmenko Undergoes Meniscus Surgery

Already down a key offensive winger in Kevin Fiala who is out for the season, the Kings are now going to be without another offensive winger for at least a little while.  The team announced that Andrei Kuzmenko has undergone successful surgery to repair a torn meniscus and is listed as out week-to-week; he has also been placed on injured reserve.  Taking his spot on the active roster is defenseman Angus Booth, who has been recalled from AHL Ontario.

Kuzmenko is in his first full season with Los Angeles after being acquired at the trade deadline last season.  A strong finish saw him put up five goals and 12 assists in just 22 games down the stretch before putting up six points in six games in the playoffs.  That performance helped keep him around as Los Angeles signed Kuzmenko to a one-year, $4.3MM contract to keep him from testing unrestricted free agency.

Things haven’t gone quite as well for the 30-year-old this season, however.  Kuzmenko has been limited to 13 goals and 12 assists through 52 appearances although he still ranks seventh on the team in points with Los Angeles being one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NHL.  Now, with him and Fiala out of the lineup, there will be even more pressure on Artemi Panarin in the short term to pick up the slack while GM Ken Holland might be more motivated to try to seek out some scoring help over the coming days as well.  Projected to have more than $15MM in cap room on deadline day, per PuckPedia, Los Angeles has plenty of room to add to its roster.

As for Booth, this is his first career NHL recall.  The 21-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Kings in 2022, going 116th overall out of the QMJHL.  In his second professional season, Booth has played exclusively with the Reign and has a goal and nine assists in 42 games.  With Drew Doughty exiting Thursday’s game with a lower-body injury, it appears that Booth will serve as the seventh defender until the veteran is able to return.