On Monday afternoon, it was announced that new Kings GM Ken Holland and forward Andrei Kuzmenko agreed to a one-year deal worth $4.3 million for the 2025-2026 season. Kuzmenko, who was brought in by former GM Rob Blake at the trade deadline this spring, was set to hit the open market tomorrow as a free agent. Ultimately, the Russian forward will bet on himself this upcoming season and look to earn a larger payday come summer 2026.
Adding Kuzmenko proved to be a great move for Los Angeles this past season. In just 22 regular-season games and six playoff games, the forward put up 23 points, including eight goals. He fit like a glove on the top line alongside Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe, and it would not be a surprise to see those three back together when camp kicks off this September.
This comes as Holland’s second major move since taking the reins as General Manager. While Los Angeles does sure up their top six with this move, it remains to be seen what the Kings new GM has up his sleeve for tomorrow when free agency kicks off. Attention will now turn to Vladislav Gavrikov, who has just a few more hours to negotiate a deal before he hits the open market tomorrow morning.
More on Gavrikov below.
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