Andrei Kuzmenko has forgone the sweet life in hopes of improving on his first campaign in North America.
"Last season was so bad for me, my weight," the Vancouver Canucks forward said this week, according to Sportsnet's Iain MacIntyre. "Now, I lose weight. Last summer, I (ate) a lot of waffles."
Kuzmenko wasn't just eating waffles with maple syrup, either.
"No, (it's) worse," he said, layering his hands, one above the other. "Waffles, then Nutella, then strawberries, then bananas."
So the Russian winger cut them out of his diet and some other tempting treats.
"Waffles are not good for me," Kuzmenko added. "I like (them), but (they're) not good for me. This summer, (the) rules for me (were): No chocolate, no Nutella, no ice cream in my freezer. You want ice cream, then go to the market. But I (stayed) home."
Kuzmenko arrived at the Canucks training camp last fall noticeably out of shape after signing a one-year, $950,000 contract with Vancouver as a coveted free agent out of the KHL last July. The team's training staff placed him on an individual workout regimen that often forced him to stay later than his teammates after practices.
The 27-year-old racked up 39 goals and 35 assists while playing all but one regular-season game. However, Kuzmenko posted an inflated shooting percentage of 27.3, which led the NHL among players who suited up for at least 10 contests.
The Canucks inked Kuzmenko to a two-year contract extension at $5.5 million annually in January.
NHL players, like most athletes, will try to use anything they can as motivation. An opponent even mildly downplays them while talking to reporters? Instant bulletin-board material.
But players' motivations go far beyond petty rivalries, of course. Some have to justify their status as a high draft pick, and previous top picks who haven't quite panned out eventually have to prove themselves, too. Some superstars may feel they have to live up to a hefty contract, especially when it's among the richest in the game.
Some are on the verge of a new deal as pending unrestricted free agents, and the lure of a more lucrative pact often brings out the best in them. In addition, players who've struggled recently while making a significant amount of cash need to prove both that they're worth their contracts and that they can return to the stellar form that made signing them for big money and term worthwhile.
Here are the five NHLers with the most to prove in the 2023-24 campaign:
Connor Bedard
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Bedard doesn't really have to justify that he was worthy of the No. 1 overall pick in June's draft - at least not right away. Most people know that was warranted given his utter dominance at the junior level and on the international stage. He was the best player available, and anyone who disputes that has some explaining to do.
But that doesn't mean Bedard has nothing to prove entering his rookie season. He does need to show he's capable of adapting to the speed and physicality of the NHL - in other words, he's dealing with the same pressure all No. 1 picks endure. He's also the new face of the Blackhawks franchise, and they're now shaping the roster around him. So he has to justify his status as the cornerstone of the new era in Chicago, one of the largest and most storied markets in the league.
Then there are the inevitable Connor McDavid comparisons, which he's already shrugging off. "I'm not him. I'm my own person and my own player," Bedard said recently about his namesake. So that's yet another thing he'll be out to prove. Given his body of work and the skills he's consistently displayed, it won't be surprising if Bedard doesn't need much time to start living up to the sky-high expectations. But he'll clearly be motivated to he's worth being labeled a generational player and one that can singlehandedly alter the trajectory of a franchise.
Auston Matthews
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We all know Matthews is one of the NHL's absolute best scorers who's developed an impressive two-way game. But the Toronto Maple Leafs superstar will be the league's highest-paid player starting in 2024-25 after signing a four-year extension for a record $13.25 million annually last month.
Matthews is also coming off a down year by his ultra-lofty standards, though he played through a hand injury and still managed to notch 40 goals and 45 assists in 74 games. Even so, he needs to prove he's worth the unprecedented new contract by getting back into the Hart and Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy conversations. If he stays healthy, it stands to reason that will happen, but he needs to rediscover the form that earned him hardware in both previous seasons before 2022-23.
Throw in the fact that the Maple Leafs are coming off yet another humiliating end to a season despite finally winning a series, as well as the fact that Toronto remains one of the toughest markets in the league in which to play, and there may be more pressure on Matthews in the upcoming campaign than he's ever faced during a regular season since he first arrived in the league.
William Nylander
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Matthews' teammate will be under the microscope for different reasons, but Nylander has plenty to prove in 2023-24 in his own right. The pending UFA has a track record of consistent production - both in the regular season and the playoffs - even matching Matthews with a team-high 40 goals last season (albeit in eight more games). Nylander will be playing for a new deal and a sizeable raise on his current cap hit of just under $7 million.
The question is how much higher should his next average annual value be. Nylander's performance this season could go a long way in determining that. Earlier in the summer, he was reportedly looking for an AAV in the $10-million range, which would put him closer to fellow core pieces Mitch Marner ($10.903 million) and captain John Tavares ($11 million).
Nylander's extension talks haven't gone swimmingly so far, but it's early, as he can sign an extension at any time until next July 1. If he doesn't have a new deal by the time the upcoming campaign begins in October, he'll be out to prove he's worthy of getting paid like some of his most talented teammates. If Nylander does agree to a new contract before the start of the season, he'll be in the same boat as Matthews in terms of having to prove he deserves it.
Jacob Markstrom
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Markstrom needs to prove last season was an anomaly, not his new normal. The Calgary Flames goaltender was terrible in 2022-23. His minus-19.6 goals saved above average at five-on-five ranked fourth worst in the NHL (96th out of 99 netminders), and his minus-5.88 goals saved above expected in the same situations placed 83rd. He posted a .892 save percentage, a career low for him in seasons in which he's played more than 16 games.
The Flames disappointed as a team last season, but Markstrom's underlying numbers show he deserved a good chunk of the blame. The Swede used to be one of the league's most dependable puck-stoppers, authoring a .914 save percentage over the 328 games he played from 2015-16 through 2021-22. That past consistency is what earned him the six-year, $36-million contract he inked with Calgary in October 2020.
Markstrom, who has three years left on that deal, will turn 34 around halfway through the upcoming campaign Jan. 31. Players, and particularly goalies, typically decline at his age. But even if Markstrom never rediscovers his prime form, he can't afford to once again be one of the league's absolute worst netminders.
Alexis Lafreniere
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Not every No. 1 overall pick becomes a star immediately upon stepping into the NHL, but Lafreniere is now entering his fourth season having collected just 47 goals and 44 assists across 216 games. The New York Rangers winger racked up 112 points in 52 contests during his third and final QMJHL season, but his game hasn't translated to the NHL the way many expected it would when the Blueshirts called his name first in 2020.
Lafreniere will turn 22 on Oct. 11, so he's still relatively young. He's also still under contract until 2025. The Quebec-born forward has shown flashes of his skill at times over his first three seasons. However, he hasn't established the consistency, let alone the elite level of play, one would hope a first overall pick with his resume would provide.
At some point, Lafreniere must start producing at a higher clip. It's been hard for him to carve out more ice time because Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin are ahead of him on the depth chart. But if he plays better in his lesser role, head coach Peter Laviolette will surely find a way to get him more minutes. It's still too early to call Lafreniere a bust, but he has to lot to prove this season to ensure that characterization doesn't become the consensus.
Defenseman Noah Hanifin clarified his stance in contract negotiations with the Calgary Flames.
Hanifin said Wednesday that he's open to inking an extension but will wait for the upcoming season to play out, according to TSN's Salim Nadim Valji. The blue-liner added that he told Flames management in the summer he needed time to process the disappointment of Calgary's concluded campaign.
A report in June indicated Hanifin wasn't expected to sign an extension with the Flames, making a trade likely. But Flames general manager Craig Conroy said Wednesday that Hanifin only expressed that he didn't want to re-sign this summer.
Hanifin is entering the final season of the six-year deal signed with Calgary in 2018. The pact carries a cap hit of $4.95 million and contains a clause allowing him to submit an eight-team no-trade list, according to CapFriendly.
The 26-year-old collected seven goals and 31 assists while ranking second on the club in average ice time at a career-high 22:39 across 81 games last season. Hanifin also authored favorable underlying numbers, including a 54.93% expected goals rate at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Hanifin has played the last five campaigns with the Flames, who acquired him in a blockbuster trade with the Carolina Hurricanes at the draft in 2018. He spent his first three seasons with the Canes, who selected him fifth overall in 2015.
The Boston-born rearguard is one of many pending unrestricted free agents on the Flames' roster. That list includes forwards Elias Lindholm and Mikael Backlund and six of Calgary's eight NHL defensemen.
The Flames missed the playoffs last season after winning the Pacific Division title and advancing to the second round in 2021-22.
Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Mike Babcock denied allegations made by a podcast Tuesday that he forced players to show them photos on their phones and then projected them onto a larger screen.
Paul Bissonnette, the former NHLer and current TV analyst and host of "Spittin' Chiclets," mentioned claims from an anonymous player about Babcock previously making the request and a recent one pertaining to the Blue Jackets.
"This player who texted me said he has about 20 stories exactly like the one I'm about to tell you ... (Babcock) called in players from his team and he'll say, 'Let me see your phone. Open up your photos and I want to see who you are as a person,'" Bissonnette said on Tuesday's show.
"So the players in the past have obviously handed over their phone, they plug it in - I think the video coach plugs it in - and then they bring it up on a flatscreen and he goes through the camera roll on your phone."
Bissonnette said one of the first things Babcock did upon getting to Columbus was ask team captain Boone Jenner to show the bench boss his phone for that reason.
Later on Tuesday, Babcock acknowledged requesting photos from players but denied how the process was portrayed on the podcast.
"While meeting with our players and staff I asked them to share, off their phones, family pictures as part of the process of getting to know them better," the head coach said in a statement. "There was absolutely nothing more to it than that.
"The way this was portrayed on the Spittin' Chiclets podcast was a gross misrepresentation of those meetings and extremely offensive. These meetings have been very important and beneficial, not only for me but for our players and staff as well, and to have them depicted like this is irresponsible and completely inaccurate."
Jenner said Babcock asked for family photos, which he says they exchanged, and the player characterized their first encounter as a positive one.
"While meeting with Babs he asked me about my family and where I'm from, my upcoming wedding and hockey-related stuff," Jenner said in a statement of his own. "He then asked if I had pictures of my family and I was happy to share some with him. He showed me pictures of his family.
"I thought it was a great first meeting and good way for us to start to build a relationship. To have this blown out of proportion is truly disappointing.”
Bissonnette responded emphatically and skeptically to the statements from Babcock and Jenner, claiming he's "had tons of players confirm" the version of the events he described.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed both the league and the NHLPA looked into the matter, according to NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika. Daly said Bissonnette's characterization of what occurred "isn't consistent" with what players are telling the players' association and added none of them felt their interactions with Babcock were inappropriate.
The Blue Jackets hired Babcock on July 1 after firing Brad Larsen in April. Babcock had been out of the NHL - coaching at the University of Saskatchewan before resigning after one season - since November 2019, when the Toronto Maple Leafs fired him.
Babcock has an apparent history of humiliating players. Mitch Marner confirmed in 2019 that when he was a rookie with the Leafs, Babcock asked him to rank his teammates based on work ethic, and the head coach later shared the list with the team.
Chris Chelios claimed on "Spittin' Chiclets" in 2019 that Babcock berated Johan Franzen to the point where the Detroit Red Wings forward had a nervous breakdown during the 2012 playoffs.
Tatar scored 20 goals for the seventh time in his 12-year career last season for the New Jersey Devils. He added 28 assists and averaged 15:07 of ice time while playing all 82 games for the fourth time.
The veteran forward, who turns 33 on Dec. 1, spent the last two campaigns with the Devils. He played the previous three with the Montreal Canadiens after splitting the 2017-18 season between the Detroit Red Wings and Vegas Golden Knights.
The Golden Knights shipped him to Montreal in the trade that also sent Nick Suzuki to the Habs and Max Pacioretty to Vegas.
Detroit traded Tatar to the Golden Knights for three draft picks in February 2018. The Slovakian winger played his first six seasons with the Wings, and then 62 games in the next campaign before they traded him to Vegas. Detroit drafted him 60th overall in 2009.
The Winnipeg Jets handed Adam Lowry the "C" on Tuesday, making him the 10th captain in franchise history and the third since they relocated from Atlanta.
Lowry is entering his 10th season with the club, which stripped Blake Wheeler of the captaincy last September. The Jets then bought out Wheeler's contract June 30.
Wheeler had been Winnipeg's captain since 2016. He succeeded Andrew Ladd, who the then-Atlanta Thrashers named captain in 2010 before moving to Winnipeg prior to the 2011-12 season.
Alex DeBrincat's exit from the Ottawa Senators appears to have stemmed from his desire to be higher on the team's depth chart than the cornerstone of the franchise.
On Friday, Senators star Tim Stutzle strongly hinted at DeBrincat's apparent disgruntlement when asked about convincing players to stay during an appearance on Sportsnet's "32 Thoughts" podcast.
"If he doesn't want to be there, I don't want to make him have to be there," Stutzle said. "That's fine to us. I think the whole group, we've been saying it, we want him to stay. We want him to be part of this group and he's a great guy, great player.
"If you don't want to be there, then good luck on your way."
Tkachuk, the team's captain, posted 35 goals and 48 assists while playing all 82 games last season. He also ranked among the league leaders with 242 hits. DeBrincat collected eight fewer tallies and nine fewer helpers while also suiting up for every regular-season contest.
The Senators traded DeBrincat to the Detroit Red Wings in July, and he instantly signed a four-year contract with his hometown squad.
Ottawa acquired the previously productive forward from the Chicago Blackhawks at the 2022 draft with one year remaining on his contract. He was a restricted free agent this summer but reportedly wasn't interested in inking an extension with the Senators.
DeBrincat racked up 41 goals and 37 assists with Chicago in 2021-22, tying the career high in tallies he established with the Blackhawks in 2018-19, his second NHL season. His 78 points were a personal-best at the highest level, and the 39 helpers he registered last season represented his best total since he entered the league.
The 25-year-old poured in 32 markers over 52 contests during the abbreviated 2021 campaign. He's been durable as well, playing every regular-season game in four of his six seasons and all but four contests in that same campaign that was shortened due to COVID-19.
Tkachuk is a two-time 30-goal scorer, setting career highs in all three primary scoring categories last season. The Senators signed him to a seven-year, $57.5-million contract in October 2021 after he led the team in points and ranked second in the NHL in hits during the previous campaign.
Ottawa named Tkachuk captain not long after the two sides agreed on the extension, handing him the "C" in November of that year. He's now the club's second-highest-paid player behind Stutzle, who signed an eight-year, $66.8-million pact with the Sens in September 2022.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are inviting Colin White to training camp on a professional tryout, the club announced Saturday.
White spent last season with the Florida Panthers after playing his first six with the Ottawa Senators. The 26-year-old forward suited up for all 21 of the Cats' playoff games this past spring on their improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final.
He collected eight goals and seven assists over 68 games during the regular season, adding a pair of postseason helpers. White averaged a career-low 9:38 of ice time prior to the playoffs, and that figure dipped to 7:25 in the postseason.
The Senators drafted the Boston College product 21st overall in 2015. He signed a one-year deal with the Panthers as a free agent in July 2022 and was a pending restricted free agent heading into this summer. The Cats opted not to issue him a qualifying offer, putting him on the open market.
White tallied a career-best 14 goals and 27 assists across 71 contests in 2018-19. He then inked a six-year, $28.5-million pact with Ottawa in August 2019, but the Sens placed him on unconditional waiviers and bought him out of the final three years on July 5, 2022.
He won gold with the United States at the Under-18 World Championship in 2015, as well as the World Junior Championship two years later. White also helped the U.S. claim bronze at the World Championship in 2018.
The Winnipeg Jets' two biggest trade chips appear to be off the market - at least for now.
When asked about Connor Hellebuyck on Friday, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said he expects the Jets goaltender to be in the opening-night lineup and isn't seeking to deal him or fellow pending unrestricted free agent Mark Scheifele.
“The narrative took on a life of its own,” Cheveldayoff said, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun and Michael Russo. “Obviously we made some changes to our organization and we think we’re situated to be in a real good, competitive spot."
The GM also said the team and the two players in question have talked over the summer and plan to meet in-person when training camp opens later in September.
In June, it was reported Hellebuyck wasn't interested in signing an extension with Winnipeg. Not long after that, another report indicated the Jets had a conversation with the New Jersey Devils about the three-time Vezina Trophy finalist and 2019-20 recipient of the honor.
The organizational change Cheveldayoff is referring to began later that month, when he signed and then shipped disgruntled forward Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings for Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari, and a second-round pick in next year's draft. A few days later, the Jets bought out former captain Blake Wheeler's contract.
“Our singular focus is winning,” Cheveldayoff said Friday. “That’s what we’re all about. So every challenge that we approach, every opportunity, or every time we get a chance to look at a different situation, it’s about putting us in the best perspective, the best place to win. That hasn’t changed and it won’t change for our organization.”
Hellebuyck has spent his entire eight-year career with the Jets, who drafted him 130th overall in 2012. The 30-year-old American has been Winnipeg's unquestioned starter since 2016-17. He's been a model of consistency and elite play for much of that time, posting a .916 career save percentage in addition to his frequent appearances on Vezina ballots.
Scheifele has been one of the most reliable offensive centers in the league for years in his own right. The Canadian, who's also 30, racked up a career-high 42 goals and added 26 assists over 81 games last season.
Hellebuyck's cap hit is $6,166,666, while Scheifele is on the books at $6.125 million, according to CapFriendly.
It's been another eventful offseason in the NHL. Many of this summer's moves can be justified - but some left a lot to be desired.
The Toronto Maple Leafs raised eyebrows by signing aging enforcer Ryan Reaves (who'll be 37 in January) to a three-year contract. The Los Angeles Kings shipped promising defenseman Sean Durzi to the Arizona Coyotes - who could flip him to one of the Kings' rivals at the trade deadline - for a mere second-round pick. The Ottawa Senators gave historically mediocre (until last season's small sample) ex-Kings goalie Joonas Korpisalo a five-year deal.
Those weren't even the most perplexing decisions made by the league's general managers. Here are five offseason happenings that had us scratching our heads:
Sharks get underwhelming return for Karlsson
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The fact that the San Jose Sharks traded Erik Karlsson wasn't surprising in the least. The swap had been in the works for months and seemed inevitable by the end of the 2022-23 season. By the time August rolled around, it was simply a matter of where the reigning Norris Trophy winner would end up.
What was bizarre about the transaction - once the Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens completed it with San Jose on Aug. 6 - was just how little the Sharks got back. San Jose received Mikael Granlund and Jan Rutta from the Pens, Mike Hoffman from the Habs, and a first-round selection in next year's draft that's top-10 protected.
The Penguins likely weren't going to pick in the top 10 regardless - especially after landing Karlsson - but still. Landing only that pick was a major disappointment for the Bay Area-based club. In addition, all three players Grier acquired are on the wrong side of 30 and will simply be roster fillers preventing younger players with more upside from getting opportunities to grow on the rebuilding squad.
Grier did minimize the percentage of Karlsson's contract the Sharks will retain - they'll only be on the hook for $1.5 million per season through 2026-27. But the Sharks needed to get more prospects and real assets considering they were trading a superstar.
Avalanche knock on Wood with 6-year deal
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Colorado Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland had a solid offseason as a whole, but one of his moves stands out as a real puzzler. The 2021-22 Stanley Cup champions brought in Miles Wood on a six-year pact with an average annual value of $2.5 million. Yes, the AAV is quite digestible, but why does Wood deserve a contract that's two years shy of the maximum term?
The answer, apparently, is that Wood is 6-foot-2 and weighs 195 pounds. "I think Miles is a big-body winger that can skate," MacFarland said upon signing him. The GM also noted Wood's "wrecking-ball" style of play and clearly considered physicality up front a team need. But in an offseason where shorter-term deals have been the rule and not the exception, why commit to a one-dimensional player like Wood through 2028-29?
Wood's AAV might look good in the future with the cap rising, especially if he excels. His offensive numbers should increase given his new teammates, but this is a player who, in seven full seasons, only scored more than 13 goals twice. His career-high of 19 came six years ago. It's not all about goals and points, but Wood's career best in the latter category is 32, which he posted in that same 19-goal campaign.
The Buffalo-born forward has been slowed by injuries at various points in his career. But that's another reason why handing him a six-year contract is a bad idea. We may never see a stranger overpay than the Lightning giving up five draft picks for Tanner Jeannot, but Wood's new deal could come close.
What exactly are the Predators doing?
Jeff Vinnick / National Hockey League / Getty
No one doubts Barry Trotz's qualifications as a head coach, but his early performance as a GM is about what you'd expect from someone who's never held the job at the NHL level before. He and his Nashville Predators have had a strange summer.
However, Trotz isn't solely to blame. Nashville's bewildering offseason actually started before the now-retired David Poile handed him the reins on July 1. One week before free agency opened, the Preds sent Ryan Johansen to Colorado for the rights to Alex Galchenyuk - who they didn't ultimately sign - while retaining half of Johansen's $8-million cap hit for the next two seasons. Then, on June 30, Nashville bought out Matt Duchene, who had the same cap hit but for three more campaigns.
So the Predators are rebuilding, right? Well, a team built around Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, and Juuse Saros can't just tear it down. So they signed the still-effective but 32-year-old Ryan O'Reilly to a four-year agreement, another veteran ex-Maple Leaf in Luke Schenn for three years, and Gustav Nyquist (a 34-year-old who was limited to 51 games last season due to injury) to a two-year pact.
Nashville needed to improve significantly on paper to return to its status of years gone by as a Stanley Cup contender. But this team appears destined to once again battle for a wild-card spot and face a tough first-round matchup - if it even qualifies for the playoffs.
Lamoriello's obsession with term goes too far
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New York Islanders president of hockey operations and GM Lou Lamoriello has no shame. This much we know from following his decades of experience running NHL teams. He's never been shy about locking players into long-term deals, which is fine when it's a star like winger Mathew Barzal (eight years, $73.2 million last October), center Bo Horvat (eight years, $68 million in February), or goaltender Ilya Sorokin (eight years, $66 million on July 1).
But someone needed to grab Lou's phone before he inked Pierre Engvall to a seven-year pact on free agency's opening day. Engvall's AAV is only $3 million because of the length of the deal, and again, that will look better with the cap rising. But committing to a bottom-six forward until he's 34 is ill-advised. To make matters worse, Lamoriello also signed Scott Mayfield - a soon-to-be 31-year-old third-pairing defenseman - to a seven-year contract of his own at $3.5 million annually.
The Islanders are built around defense, so Lamoriello inking blue-liners Adam Pelech (eight years, $46 million in August 2021) and Ryan Pulock (eight years, $49.2 million two months later) didn't seem as misguided at the time. But New York now has seven players signed through 2028-29, with six of them on the books through the following season and three of them under contract until at least the conclusion of 2030-31. That won't end well if they decline at the typical rate or get derailed by injuries as they age.
Red Wings fail to learn from Copp blunder
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Steve Yzerman is not the same GM with the Detroit Red Wings that he was with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The first major hint came in July of last year when he signed overachieving Michigan-born free-agent forward Andrew Copp to a five-year deal at $5.625 million annually.
Copp found his game as a multi-positional offensive contributor over parts of two seasons - his final ones with the Winnipeg Jets - before they traded him to the New York Rangers at the 2021-22 deadline. He posted over a point per game with the Blueshirts down the stretch of that regular season and then had a great postseason, too. But after cashing in with the Wings, the local boy collected only nine goals and 33 assists while posting subpar underlying numbers over 82 games last season.
Fast-forward to July 1, 2023. Yzerman signed eight players that day, but he gave the most money and longest term (five years, $25.5 million) to J.T. Compher, a similarly versatile but limited forward. Compher came off a career year offensively, having produced 52 points in 82 games with the Colorado Avalanche. He's a fairly dependable second-line center and proved he can play on the top line when necessary.
But the Red Wings now pay their middle-six pivots, Compher and Copp, more than $5 million each for five and four more seasons, respectively. Yzerman traded for and extended Alex DeBrincat eight days later, but handing out significant term and money to middle-of-the-lineup players like Compher could haunt the GM if Detroit eventually develops into a contender.
