Canucks reach two-year, $11M extension with Kuzmenko

The Vancouver Canucks agreed to a two-year, $11 million contract extension with rookie Andrei Kuzmenko on Thursday.

Kuzmenko will carry a cap hit of $5.5 million under the new deal, which begins next season. TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports the deal includes a 12-team no-trade list.

The 26-year-old, who joined the Canucks from the KHL in the off-season, has 21 goals and 43 points in 47 games this season. He was previously a pending unrestricted free agent, carrying a cap hit of just $950,000 this season.

"Andrei is a player we worked extremely hard to recruit last summer," general manager Patrik Allvin said in a team release. "He has been an excellent fit for our forward group this season, transitioning very well to the North American style of play. His passion and enthusiasm for the game has made a positive impact in the dressing room among his teammates and we are excited to watch him continue his career with the Vancouver Canucks."

Kuzmenko sits tied for third on the Canucks in scoring this season, equal with Quinn Hughes and behind only All-Star Elias Pettersson and fellow pending unrestricted free agent Bo Horvat.

The extension comes 10 days after Canucks president Jim Rutherford said the team would need "major surgery" moving forward.

"We're not looking towards a rebuild, I rather call it a retool," Rutherford said on Jan. 16, prior to replacing head coach Bruce Boudreau with Rick Tocchet. "My preference is when we make deals, it's not necessarily for draft picks who may come in and help the team four years or five years from now. I would prefer to get younger NHL players that may not have worked out well on the entry-level contracts and bring them in to get a second chance.

"We'll still look to acquire draft picks but we have to go about this in a way that is not a long-term rebuild and I think we can do that."
 

Horvat Among Canucks' Remaining UFAs

Horvat's future with the team remains unclear as the trade deadline looms on March 3.

The team's captain is in the midst of a career year with 31 goals and 50 points in 48 games this season, but Rutherford said the team's contract offer on the table was based on his previous output.

"We, I believe, have taken our best shot, and the contract that we have on the table for Bo right now I think is a fair contract for what he's done up until this year," Rutherford said. "But it's certainly under market value for what he's done this year. So, we're in a pickle here.

"He's had a career year, a career run, and he's looking for his money. He deserves it. I don't blame him."

The 27-year-old is in the final season of a six-year, $33 million deal that carries a cap hit of $5.5 million. Trade rumours have surrounded Horvat throughout the season, with the centre releasing a statement last month that he would not be commenting on his future.

"I still believe in the core and I still believe that we have a lot of good players, but with that, when I talk about major surgery, well, there could be core players that have to move out," Rutherford added. "It may be the way, it may be the only way that we can get significant players back where you take a core player, and you can get a good, young center and a good right-shot defenceman. It may be the only way to do it."

Horvat has spent his entire career with the Canucks since being selected ninth overall in the 2013 draft.