The Kings have acquired right-handed-shooting winger Andrei Kuzmenko from the Philadelphia Flyers and a 2025 seventh-round draft pick in exchange for a third-rounder in 2027, both teams confirmed as Friday’s noon NHL trade deadline loomed.

Philadelphia retained 50% of Kuzmenko’s salary, flipping him mere weeks after acquiring him in a trade with the Calgary Flames. Kuzmenko, 29, will now be playing for his fourth franchise in just two seasons and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

For the Kings, it gets them a right-handed shot who had a splashy 39-goal season two years ago when he debuted in North America for the Vancouver Canucks. But the two-year contract extension he signed ($5.5 million cap hit) saw him slide down the Vancouver depth chart, be traded to Calgary in the Elias Lindholm deal, heat up for a while after the trade and then return to a tepid level of production this season. He has 20 points in 43 games in a campaign that’ll now be split between three dressing rooms.

Kuzmenko established himself in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League and became a late arrival to the NHL, making a strong, immediate impact with his skating and ability to score near the net. The Kings are likely banking that his presence near the crease, hands, speed and ability to shoot one-timers from the left circle – Alex Laferriere is the Kings’ only right-shooting forward who’s capable of logging power-play time presently – will invigorate an offense that’s scored two or fewer goals in all but two of its losses this season.

Kings general manager Rob Blake will address the media this afternoon once the deadline passes.

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