Take out the 3rd and only if he signs a 3.5MX4 deal

You traded basically this same package for Nick Foligno

Leafs don't need another small winger with ZERO physical play. The guy has skill but the leafs need guys to be in the trenches doing the hard work for the BIG4. This team when the going gets tough will be physically beaten by game 7 like the past few years. Leafs need 2 gritty playoff ready wingers. Kerfoot, Engvall, Malgin, Jarnkrok, Robertson, Holmberg are not built for a playoff run and will eventually disappear leaving the big 4 to try and win on their own like last year.

Foligno had 4 mil in retention, Also not a fair comparison

Kuzmenko already has 5 more goals and 7 more points in 17 less games than Foligno had at the time of that trade. (I know Foligno was a good defensive player though)

Foligno had a playoff track record; Kuzmenko has never played in playoffs or even meaningful games (when checking is tight and whistles are buried). Not his fault that he was in Russia but until he shows he can produce when it counts, this is an overpay imo. Let’s see how he handles himself in Feb & Mar when playoff race tightens up.
Should add Mikheyev looked great in reg season but disappeared in playoffs

Kuzmenko with 0 retention still makes way less then Foligno with retention

You want the guy on pace for 75 points and 39 goals to sign for under 4 million?

When he actually puts up a season like that on a playoff team then ill take the stats seriously. Racking up points on a dog water team thats handed him every opportunity to put up points means nothing

And Kuzmenko is on basically a league minimum contract...

Gotta remember that Kaprizov got 9 million dollars a year after putting up 51 points in 55 games. Kuzmenko is producing at that pace right now

Lmao bruh, you really think those 2 are anywhere near the same?

After 1 year in the NHL? Lol yeah... Kaprizov came from the KHL, had a great rookie year and then got paid. Kaprizov was also like 25 years old. Kuzmenko is pretty much doing the exact same thing. More comparable than you think bud. He hardly had any playoff experience. He got 9 mil after 1 good season. Obviously hindsight shows that he is well worth but was he really a 9 million dollar player after being under a point per game in his rookie year?

I mean Mitch Marner got 11M while every other comparable player got 9.5M or less. Just cause one player got overpaid doesn't mean everyone else is worth that money.

If you are Kuzmenko's agent, who are you going to immediately use as a comparable? Obviously Kaprizov. Will he cost 9 mil? Proabably not, but you would be joking if you thought he you could get him for 3-4 mil. He is in his prime, he is going to be looking to make himself a fortune. I'd expect he get at least 6-7 at minimum if he continues his production

Then he could go back to Russia cause any gm is stupid to pay a guy whose been handed everything too him and didn't have to earn any opportunity once he got to Vancouver

You could have said literally the exact same thing about Kaprizov... You do realize that UFA's get overpaid every summer right?

Kaprisov carries Minny, Vancouver is just fine without Kuzmenko

So he won't get 9 mil, but it would be silly to think you can get a near point per game winger for 3-4 million dollars. His agent laughs at that deal. There will definitely be teams willing to fork up 6-7 mil for a player like Kuzmenko who has shown to be elite offensively, and very good defensively

Mikheyev scored at a 50 point pace while playing in a shutdown role and got 4.75M. I don't think Kuzmenko is 2M better than Mikheyev.

Kuzmenko was not "given" anything from Vancouver. He's excelled because of his abilities which gave him the opportunity to play with Pettersson and they complimented each other extremely well. The notion that a guy who is nearly PPG and on pace for nearly 40 goals was simply "given" it is ridiculous.

He would be on the 3rd line on any competent team

He'd be the best LW in Toronto

His stats say otherwise