Kuzmenko fitting into 1st-line role with Kings going into Game 2 against Oilers

LOS ANGELES -- Bruce Boudreau knows firsthand how good Andrei Kuzmenko can be for the Los Angeles Kings.

Boudreau was able to get the most out of the Russian forward as coach of the Vancouver Canucks and sees a similar pattern emerging for Kuzmenko with the Kings.

“He’s done exceptional with the Kings, he’s a really skilled player,” Boudreau said Tuesday. “From the (face-off) circles down, he’s as good as there is handling pucks, a typical Russian sniper. These skilled Russian hockey players, from the circles down are pretty good.”

Kuzmenko will look to build on an impressive debut in the Stanley Cup Playoffs when the Kings host the Edmonton Oilers in Game 2 of the Western Conference First Round at Crypto.Com Arena on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET; FDSNW, MAX, TBS, SN, TVAS, CBC). He had a goal and two assists in the Kings’ 6-5 win against Edmonton in Game 1 on Monday.

“I think what happened with him in L.A., they’re counting on him,” Boudreau said. “When he came to Vancouver, he was on the first line, and he played with [Elias] Pettersson. He was an important player on the team, so we counted on him. I think in Calgary he was not a first-line player, they didn’t count on him, in Philadelphia they didn’t count on him.

“Now in L.A., he’s a somebody, he’s not just a player playing on the third or fourth line that you want on the power play, and he’s playing like that. He’s playing with that kind of energy and that kind of enthusiasm when I watch him play.”

Kuzmenko signed as an undrafted free agent with Vancouver on June 20, 2022, and played for Boudreau in 2022-23. Kuzmenko had 74 points (39 goals, 35 assists) in 81 games in his first NHL season. As a 26-year-old at the time, he was year over the age limit to be considered for the Calder Trophy as the League’s best first-year player.

Boudreau recognized Kuzmenko had been an offensive catalyst in Russia and gave him an opportunity to excel with the Canucks.

“For me, to get him and then all of sudden not make him an important player, I thought would have really destroyed his confidence,” Boudreau said. “It took him a while to learn the North American game and to realize you have to work a little harder at both ends of the ice. But he was really accepting of the fact we needed him to score for us to be successful. I think he’s one of those guys that want that pressure, and wants to be the guy.”

Boudreau was replaced by Rick Tocchet on Jan. 22, 2023, and in 2023-24, Kuzmenko’s production dropped. He had 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists) in 43 games before being traded to the Calgary Flames in exchange for forward Elias Lindholm on Jan. 31, 2024.

Kuzmenko was traded by Calgary to the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 30 this season, and acquired by the Kings on March 7, just prior to the NHL Trade Deadline. He had 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 22 games for Los Angeles, where he returned to a top-line role with center Anze Kopitar and left wing Adrian Kempe.

“I’ve played on four teams, and I’ve had a lot of coaches, and every coach has been a big help to me,” Kuzmenko said Tuesday. “Bruce Boudreau gave me a good chance to play in the NHL and gave me good ice time. If I made a mistake, he just pushed me to keep going and it was first season in the NHL. I loved him, he was a big support for me.

“Now it’s the same. This is a good coach [Jim Hiller] on this team, and I love it. I like playing for a lot of coaches in my career, because it helps me learn a little bit faster and they show me how I need to play and how the team needs me to play.”

Kuzmenko fit in immediately with the Kings, providing them with another skilled, offensive forward. He has helped the power play and scored with the man-advantage 2:49 into Game 1. They 29-year-old set up Kempe at 14:47 of the second period for a 3-0 lead, and also assisted on a power-play goal by Kevin Fiala at 4:59 of the third period to make it 5-2.

“He’s an older player, so he’s got that on his side, but I thought he performed [in Game 1] like he performed since the trade deadline for us,” Hiller said. “He’s just really been a difference maker like he was again [Monday] night. You have to give him a lot of respect, he’s really done a job. He had a tough go for a while and he gathered himself and I’m really happy for him.”

Kuzmenko is in the second season of a two-year, $11 million contract ($5.5 million average annual value) he signed with Vancouver on Jan. 26, 2023. He can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season but may have found a good home in Los Angeles.

“It was a great (playoff) debut for sure,” Kings captain Anze Kopitar said. “I’m sure he was a little bit nervous, but at the same time, I always say the first game of the first round is probably the hardest to play. Now, I think the nerves settled in a little bit. Having a good game like he did and getting the win is huge. He’s been a really good addition for us right since he got here. We’re going to need him to play like that going forward and keep making plays and make sure that him and us as a line are responsible and keep being productive.”

The Kings are facing the Oilers in the first round of the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. Los Angeles was eliminated by Edmonton each of the past three seasons and is hoping Kuzmenko is instrumental in helping earn a berth in the second round for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup in 2014.

“He’s been good for us since Day 1, when he got here and he made a huge impact for us,” Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov said. “He was asking how it was going to be in the playoffs, and I just told him do his thing and be ready to play physical and be mentally ready. I think he showed up ready to play.”