KHL star Andrei Kuzmenko able to sign NHL deal on May 1

The world has changed quite a bit since Andrei Kuzmenko’s name surfaced in November as a player that was drawing interest from NHL teams. Given his place in the KHL and Russia’s actions in the invasion of Ukraine, it wasn’t at all clear whether teams would still pursue the soon-to-be free agent. On Thursday night’s "Insider Trading," Chris Johnston cleared that up.

"I think what’s interesting is that even with the situation with Russia having invaded Ukraine, it doesn’t seem to have scared teams off at this point. And his contract in Russia runs through April 30. So as of May 1, he’s available to sign an NHL deal."

Kuzmenko, 26, had a brilliant regular season in the KHL this year, scoring 53 points in 45 games, and he has carried that play right over into the postseason. Through 12 playoff games with SKA St. Petersburg, the dynamic forward has seven goals and 13 points, leading the team to the Conference Finals. Importantly, SKA is actually down 2-1 in their series against CSKA, meaning they could be eliminated in the coming days. If that happens, Kuzmenko will have plenty of time to talk to NHL clubs before his contract officially expires at the end of the month.

Johnston notes that a deal is not “cooked” yet, meaning there isn’t an agreement in place at this point. The Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks have confirmed interest, but in 2018, the last time Kuzmenko was discussing contracts in the NHL, his agent said 24 teams reached out. If it’s anywhere near that many this time around, he’ll have quite a few options to choose from.

To be clear, Kuzmenko would not be eligible for this year’s playoffs, even if he joins a team still involved. Because he is not on any team’s reserve list as an undrafted player, he would have had to sign a contract before the trade deadline to help them in this postseason.