Report: Calgary Flames winger Andrei Kuzmenko changes agents, joins Newport Sports

Kuzmenko, 28, joined the Flames in January as part of the Elias Lindholm trade with the Vancouver Canucks. He had previously been represented by Dan Milstein of the Gold Star Sports Management Group, which works primarily with NHL players from Russia and the surrounding nations.

Milstein’s clients include Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Ilya Sorokin, and Nikita Zadorov, as well as fellow Flames players Yegor Sharangovich, Dan Vladar, Martin Pospisil, Daniil Miromanov, Nikita Okhotiuk, Ilya Solovyov, and Ilya Nikolaev.

Newport Sports was founded by longtime NHL agent Don Meehan, and its stable of agents also includes Pat Morris and Craig Oster, among others. The group’s list of notable clients features Connor Bedard, Steven Stamkos, Alex Pietrangelo, Erik Karlsson, Brad Marchand, Rasmus Dahlin, Aaron Ekblad, Kevin Fiala, Travis Konecny, and the Tkachuk brothers.

The Flames have six other players in their organization represented by Newport Sports: Jacob Markstrom, Cole Schwindt, William Stromgren, Artem Grushnikov, Mark Pysyk, and Oscar Dansk. (Coincidentally, Lindholm is also repped by Newport).

It’s not entirely uncommon for players to change agents, particularly during the off-season. Kuzmenko is a little over one year away from being able to test unrestricted free agency, and he had to waive his no-trade clause to agree to come to Calgary in the first place. He’ll be eligible to sign a contract extension starting July 1, although it remains to be seen whether he’ll be willing to do so.

The Canucks originally signed Kuzmenko as an undrafted free agent from the KHL ahead of the 2022–23 season. Kuzmenko exploded out of the gate with 39 goals and 74 points in 81 games during his first season with the Canucks and parlayed his performance into a two-year, $5.5 million AAV extension with the club.

But after stumbling out of the gate in his sophomore year, Kuzmenko found himself in head coach Rick Tocchet’s doghouse midway through the season and ended up being included in the Lindholm deal primarily for salary cap purposes. However, he regained his form with the Flames down the stretch, collecting 14 goals and 25 points in 29 games after the trade.

Along with Sharangovich and Andrew Mangiapane, Kuzmenko is one of three top-nine forwards on this Flames team whose contract is set to expire next summer. At this point, it appears unlikely that the Flames will keep all three of them.

We’ll just have to wait and see whether Kuzmenko changing agents helps facilitate a new contract in Calgary for the talented winger — or if it signals that he may soon be on the move once again.