Fitting Kuzmenko

[Axeman33]

Well this has been an interesting read LOL!

[Fighting_Emu]

Yes I lost my mind in here but here is more evidence that people are wondering if kuzmenko has it in him to be a superstar:

https://youtu.be/uXNv5CFKZUQ

I'm not interested in reinvigorated the IPP debate I've said my piece- this is just on regards to the general topic...

[tweetdrivr]

It’s a YouTube video of a video game…?

[Fighting_Emu]

It’s a YouTube video of a video game…?

He just shows footage of his video game clips while he discusses different topics in his channel. To be honest hes not really a great utility or anything- more like a Canucks super fan- but I do find hes a good water mark for what people are talking about at any given time. In this clip hes referencing a tweet by an account named NHLWatcher. I'm not an avid Twitter guy but I imagine the account has a decent amount of clout if lego is referencing it. He generally cites pretty well known pundits, anylists and the like..

[Fighting_Emu]

This is aging so badly already. When I made these posts I was literally just boxcar watching and underwhelmed by a half baked ipp argument and what amounts to thinly veiled racism- but im watching the games now and the highlights... this is actively bad advice. If you pass on kuzmenko because people born in his country failed to breakout in the NHL or because his ipp- was sort of below what some hockey writer likes to see- you're passing on a star player and id really check your reasons. The talent level is immense here- I really thought tocchet might be a problem but it took 5 games and hes now the guys biggest fan.

Don't buy into this bs logic- this is a star player. Hes not entirely without warts- id love to see him shoot more- but he's a beast!! Citing those tip ins as a detriment cause he got "lucky"?? Go back and watch them- and then try and tell us how "lucky" he was. Hes already a star and hes got tons of room to grow- deployment wise, in terms of team situation- pass on your own risk but please don't do it cause he's a Russian from the KHL- were better than that...

[Swarley]

This is aging so badly already. When I made these posts I was literally just boxcar watching and underwhelmed by a half baked ipp argument and what amounts to thinly veiled racism- but im watching the games now and the highlights... this is actively bad advice. If you pass on kuzmenko because people born in his country failed to breakout in the NHL or because his ipp- was sort of below what some hockey writer likes to see- you're passing on a star player and id really check your reasons. The talent level is immense here- I really thought tocchet might be a problem but it took 5 games and hes now the guys biggest fan.

Don't buy into this bs logic- this is a star player. Hes not entirely without warts- id love to see him shoot more- but he's a beast!! Citing those tip ins as a detriment cause he got "lucky"?? Go back and watch them- and then try and tell us how "lucky" he was. Hes already a star and hes got tons of room to grow- deployment wise, in terms of team situation- pass on your own risk but please don't do it cause he's a Russian from the KHL- were better than that...

Just give it up already, what a terrible post….again

[tweetdrivr]

…and what amounts to thinly veiled racism-

Uhhhh…what? Too much. Can we get this guy banned for at least a week or two? Whatever issues he’s got going on this is beyond the pale for this forum.

[lucafen4]

Well, this was mind-numbing to flip through4 pages and counting about a Canucks player?
I'd understand if it were for their draft chances or anti-ownership.
he shouldn't even be a Canuck right now. Missed opp by not trading that ELC deal.

I care less about 8 tap-in goals than I do about a 25.5% shooting percentage.
That's regression every year.
26 goals on 102 shots.
lose 4 tap-ins and he's still floating 21.8%

just slot him in between Panarin & Kubalik and move on.
Better than one, not as good as the other.
but... significantly better than the heartbreaker Gusev.

And if you don't like someone's posts... there's this amazing thing called 'don't read them' that will save a lot of people a lot of wasted emotions on a bloody sports forum.
someone has lost sleep from this thread
'NOOOOOOTHHHHHHHHHER BEEEEEEEEER'

[Belexus75]

Uhhhh…what? Too much. Can we get this guy banned for at least a week or two? Whatever issues he’s got going on this is beyond the pale for this forum.

hate to do this to anybody, but i agree ...this forum supposed to be for hockey fan not rude and at the same time depressing posts...

[Fighting_Emu]

Lmao- its about hockey?? Your posts that you just made- directed, spiteful and aggressive are what should be banned. I said kuzmenko is a great player and saying he won't make it cause he's a Russian from the khl is not a good premise to write him off. I barely post on this site anymore cause of think tanks like you lmao!

[Fighting_Emu]

Just give it up already, what a terrible post….again

Well its true- facts is facts- and the fact is hes a great player. The logic was flawed at the time and his season is bearing that out. Everyone jumped on me at the time when it was questionable now the worst you can say is "im over it". Of course your over i- it was a stupid and antiquated take when we didn't know what he was- know that we have a clearer picture its just embarassing- lmao! I'd be over it too- id be sweeping this baby under the rug and hoping ppl never find it- haha! I lost my cool a little bit in the explanation but the logic was sound- you want to ban a user for saying a pdo that was within 5 percentile of what a writer "likes to see" and him being Russian was bad evidence?? Maybe just quit a thinking hobby and go back to the wwe boards? I provided an argument why you shouldn't do exactly that- and you think its ban worthy??? Wow...

[Fighting_Emu]

Uhhhh…what? Too much. Can we get this guy banned for at least a week or two? Whatever issues he’s got going on this is beyond the pale for this forum.

Uuhhh yea!! What would you call it Sherlock?? Don't draft a guy cause he's Russian is racist- the only part of that that was disingenuous was the part where I said "thinly veiled". I'm not "woke" either- I'm.not trying to drag this into the muck- the argument was Russian ayers from the khl player dont succeed over here and thats not even true lmao!! Its sad I have to spell this out but attaching a negative connotation to a person based solely on race is racism.

Lastly you two take it personally when I dont act on your advice in fantasy- now you think you not liking me is a problem. Its the same two people every time- I DONT CARE WHAT YOU THINK- LMAO!! You've got a wifi connection, too much time on your hands and a fragile little ego- I just don't care mate. I've stayed on point here- and the sad fact is when I post under a different account you literally echo my advice like you do everyone else. My only "issue" is that you teo insist on targeting me over and over again- and its hard not to respond when you've got the intellectual capacity of a pistachio- lmao! Thats the last time I'm responding to you flicking clout chasers- go be offended by something else- lol! Saying ussian players can't play in the NHL isn't racist but im an assailed for saying it is?? Did I wake up in bizarre world?

[Fighting_Emu]

Maybe I'm dumb then- explain to me how that isn't racist. This player is Russian and from the khl so he probably won't make it because three or four other guys who are Russian and from the khl didn't make it in the past. The author identifies the defi ing trait as Russian and then goes on to put it in a negative context "won't make the nhl". Please tell me how thats not racist?

And in the meantime I'll post whenever I damn well please and go back to ignoring you two. If you passed on kuzmebko you effed up. I hope your reasons were sound...

[saucelife90]

I'm siding with Emu on this one... no need for a ban. The entertainment value alone is worth keeping him around.

[RizzeeDizzee]

I saw the bump of an old Kuzmenko thread, but THIS is the thread to bump.

Let me say that I'm not doing this to say I'm some sort of genius who's always right. Just wait until I post the results of my fearless forecasts this season, where let's just say I had some big misses. And when Matthews was struggling early I predicted it would continue. I'm wrong in a big way plenty of times. And don't remind me about how many times I predicted lack of success for Joe Pavelski, which deservedly became legendary on these boards. And when I'm wrong, I own it.

But never in my entire time as a writer did I "put my money where my mouth is" more so than regarding Kuzmenko, so I do feel somewhat vindicated now. In case people don't have it in front of them, this is what I said in my Fearless Forecast article in October.

1) Andrei Kuzmenko will score at a 50-point or lower pace

No question 2022-23 was a superb first season for Kuzmenko, who, but for his age making him ineligible, likely would've won the Calder after posting 74 points in 81 games. He had superb chemistry with Elias Pettersson and signed a deal that should keep him a Canuck at least this season and next. And I'm not here to deny the success Kuzmenko had last season, nor to suggest he isn't talented. I will say though that in my now 11 years of writing about fantasy hockey, I've never seen as many metrics suggesting a player's performance was unsustainably benefitted. Skeptical? See if you still are after you read on.

In 2022-23, Kuzmenko joined a list of 204 other wingers dating back to 2000-01 to score 35+ goals in a season. The next lowest SOG total for any of them was 178 (versus his 148), and a mere four others had fewer than 200.

Kuzmenko had 14 PPGs on just 37 PPSOG. Again going back to 2000-01, there were a total of 219 other instances of forwards potting 14+ PPGs in a season, with Kuzmenko's PPSOG total ranking him second worst, and there being only 11 other instances where a player had under 50 PPSOG.

Of the forwards who potted 25+ goals for 2022-23, only three had a total number of posts and crossbars hit that was less than 10% of their goal total, with Kuzmenko (39 goals, 3 posts, zero crossbars) one of them and the only player with a lower percentage being Dylan Cozens (31, 2, 0).

The last three forwards who reached double digits in tip in goals (Chris Kreider with 17 in 2021-22; David Backes with 11 in 2014-15; Ryan Callahan with ten in 2010-11) all saw scoring rate decreases of at least eight points the following season, with Kreider's dropping by 22. Who led the entire NHL in tip in goals for the 2022-23 season? Kuzmenko, with 14.

There was a total of 84 forwards who tallied more assists than Kuzmenko's 35 last season. How many had a secondary assist rate as high as his 60%? Try zero. In fact, just one (Nick Schmaltz, who had only one more assist and a 55.6% secondary assist rate) was above 55% and just one more (Tomas Hertl – 41 assists, 53.7%) was above the 51.5% mark.

As if all that wasn't enough, the last two instances of a player as old or older than Kuzmenko scoring 30+ goals as a first year player came in 1992-93 by Dmitri Kvartalnov, who proceeded to drop to 19 points in 39 games the following season, which happened to be his last in the NHL, and Nikolai Borschevsky, who had a decent second season in posting 35 points in 45 games but was out of the NHL after 1995-96. While admittedly this is not objective evidence along the same lines as the other data, it's most certainly not good company in which to find oneself.

If I'm a Kuzmenko owner in a keeper, I'm trying to move him ASAP. And although most reading this will have already drafted in one-year leagues, you might want to look into the possibility of trading him there too, as while it might raise some eyebrows it also would be better than being stuck with him if in fact he regresses as much as this data suggests he will.