Kings Activate Andrei Kuzmenko Off Injured Reserve

As the Kings get set to kick off their opening round series against Colorado on Sunday, they’re getting an offensive boost.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated winger Andrei Kuzmenko off injured reserve.

The 30-year-old played in the first game after the Olympics in late February and has been sidelined ever since due to a knee injury sustained in that game against Vegas.  He soon underwent meniscus surgery with a week-to-week designation after that.  He’ll wind up missing a little more than seven weeks overall with the injury.

Kuzmenko is in his first full season with the Kings, who acquired him from Philadelphia at the 2024 trade deadline and after a promising showing down the stretch, he inked a one-year, $4.3MM contract to avoid the open market last summer.  He had an up-and-down showing during the regular season, chipping in with 13 goals and 12 assists which had to be considered a little underwhelming after putting up 17 points in 22 games to close out 2024-25.

However, Kuzmenko’s numbers were put up before Jim Hiller was replaced as head coach, so there is a chance that things could improve under interim bench boss D.J. Smith.  With Los Angeles having the worst offense out of the 16 playoff teams, any potential upgrade should be a welcome one as they enter the postseason as a heavy underdog against the Avalanche.