March 07, 2025
The Flyers have flipped winger Andrei Kuzmenko to the Los Angeles Kings, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman was first to report and head coach John Tortorella more or less confirmed when he spoke to the media in Voorhees on Friday during the team's noon practice.
"Yeah, I just heard about it when I was coming up here," Tortorella said. "So I'm not sure of the details of it all, but good kid, full of energy, very skilled."
The Flyers are getting a third-round draft pick back in 2027, the team announced, while also sending LA their 2025 seventh-rounder this summer. The Flyers will also be retaining 50 percent of Kuzmenko's expiring $5.5 million cap hit.
Kuzmenko, a 29-year old winger out of Russia, was part of the return from Calgary in the Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost trade.
He scored two goals and notched three assists during his short stay of seven games in Philadelphia, and had flashes of solid skill with the hands and some great anticipation, but he didn't mesh well on a line with Scott Laughton and Travis Konecny, and one final throw for a spark by pairing him with Matvei Michkov from Tortorella in Thursday night's loss to Winnipeg didn't produce much either.
"It's tough to give a full report on him because I just haven't had him long enough," Tortorella said. "But I liked his energy. I don't think there was really a connection when I tried TK and him. It just hasn't worked. I tried him with [Michkov] a little bit last night. So it's a guy that, obviously, the book of it is inconsistency. Really good and then some struggles."
Now the Kings, in the thick of the playoff race out West, will see if they can get him into a role that yields the good out of him way more often.
MORE: Scott Laughton dealt to Maple Leafs for prospect, first-round pick
Follow Nick on Twitter: @itssnick
Follow Nick on Bluesky: @itssnick
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
