Can Pelletier, Kuzmenko Provide a Second-Half Surge for Flyers?

It has been a tough year for the Philadelphia Flyers, and time is running out on their season. Despite having rookie sensation Matvei Michkov here two years earlier than expected, it has still been a tough go for the Orange and Black. Leading up to the 4 Nations break the Flyers were 24-26-7 with 55 points towards the very bottom of the Metropolitan division. 

They started post-4 Nations play with an impressive 6-3 win over the defending Western Conference champions Edmonton Oilers, including a three-point game for Michkov. The game also had some reinforcements for Philadelphia. In addition to several players returning from injury, newly-acquired forward Jakob Pelletier made his Flyers debut after missing over a week following the trade due to visa issues. Andrei Kuzmenko also played in his second game as a Flyers after visa issues as well. 

Both were acquired in a trade with the Calgary Flames announced in the early-morning hours of Jan. 31, sending Joel Farabee, and Morgan Frost in return. While Pelletier was just getting his feet wet adapting to the new system under head coach John Tortorella, Kuzmenko looked sharp yet again, this time chipping in a power-play goal.

Both Pelletier, 23, and Kuzmenko, 29, desperately needed a fresh start from Calgary. Pelletier was placed on waivers earlier this season, and Kuzmenko is now on his third team since entering the NHL in 2022. 

Pelletier’s game is, in a way, similar to Travis Konecny. They are both driven and have a non-stop motor. The more Pelletier practices and becomes familiar with the team, he should prove his worth and show why GM Danny Briere was eager to acquire him. 

“He’s only 23 years old and the way they were talking about him in the locker room, that’s really impressive at his age, already being so well-liked by his teammates,” Briere said. “It’s more than that with him. At 23 years old, how much upside does he have, how far can he take his game? 

“With his contract situation, we’re obviously going to be a little bit more patient with him and we’re going to give him the chance. What we’re hearing from him is he’s a smart player. The coach is going to love him. All the coaches that have had him love him because he’s detailed, he works every single shift, and he’s a smart player out there. We want to see with his size, can he be effective at the NHL level? That’s pretty much the only thing you’re questioning with him. Everything else comes back rated super high. I can’t wait to see him. I think he’s going to fit in really well with us on this team and Torts is really going to like this guy.”

The former first-round pick from Quebec has limited stats to show, but the talent and opportunity is there. Last season, in only 24 games, Pelletier had four goals and 11 points and was a +10. Now that he is in Philadelphia, he will have plenty of chances to show Tortorella his skill set. 

As for Kuzmenko, his story is a little bit different. He was brought in for a few reasons, but the biggest surely includes his former chemistry with Michkov. The two played together in the KHL for SKA St. Petersburg when Michkov was 16 years old. 

Despite it being brief, there is at least some familiarity, and being the new translator to help Philadelphia’s star in the making understand the game better. Kuzmenko’s power-play touch will certainly help the Flyers unit during the final stretch of games. 

Kuzmenko only played in 124 games with the Vancouver Canucks before getting traded to Calgary in another big trade. In his first NHL season, Kuzmenko scored 39 goals and 35 assists for 74 points in 81 games. Fourteen of those goals came on the power play. 

The talent is there, but the worry is once Kuzmenko seems to tail off a bit, he stays in a rut. The same instance happened in Calgary, with him getting hot in the final 29 games of the 2022-23 season – with 14 goals and 25 points – before having a massive dip of only four goals and 15 points in 37 games this season before the trade. 

“He’s an example of a player that we want to know more about,” Briere said. “I think we were in the mix a couple of years ago when he came over. He decided to go with Vancouver and exploded right onto the scene. He’s got some explosiveness and he can score goals. It’s been an up-and-down kind of two years for him here in North America, but the high-end talent is there, and the exciting part is we get to see him from the inside. 

“We get to know him before we…commit in the future with him. I can’t wait to have him here playing on the ice. You know, is there going to be some chemistry with TK or with Matvei or with Tyson Foerster? Who knows? That’s what I’m looking forward to seeing.”

Pelletier will certainly have a longer look than Kuzmenko, who possibly may even be on the move again before the trade deadline in less than two weeks. Kuzmenko is on an expiring two-year, $11 million contract and is an unrestricted free agent. By obtaining his cap hit, it helped the Flyers depart from Farabee’s $5 million AAV entirely without any retention. 

One potential snag in any opportunity to flip Kuzmenko for more picks or potential an NHL ready prospect is he has a modified no-trade clause with a 12-team list. He already waived it in order to come to Philadelphia after Briere and President of Hockey Operations Keith Jones convinced him to do so. The question is would he do it again to go to another team not on his list?

It’s too early to say how both forwards will make an impact in South Philadelphia, but it’s up to them and the rest of the team to decide if they want to stick around. By trading both Frost and Farabee midseason, it shows that Briere is starting to get aggressive in his trades. 

There is probably more of a case for keeping Pelletier for the future than Kuzmenko. After giving him more time to adapt, a change of scenery could truly help his game, which seems to be more suited for Philadelphia. 

There is a case to go either way with Kuzmenko. Could he be flipped in a bigger deal for a center that is desperately needed, or will he find his game with an unlikely coach in Tortorella and earn an extension to remain a Flyer? Give him time to get familiar with this team and extend him to a shorter-term deal, and it could be worth it as long as he stays consistent.