Status Report: Kuzmenko returns to Penguins practice after father's death

Oct 2, 2026, 4:03 PM ET|Comments (0)

from NHL.com,

Andrei Kuzmenko returned to practice with the Penguins on Friday, 10 days after his father died on a fishing trip. The forward left the team on Sept. 24 and gone to Russia to mourn his father, who was a respected hockey coach. "Thank you for everyone who supported me," Kuzmenko said. "I'm happy to go back to Pittsburgh. I missed everyone. I go back to reality, back to my job. And let's go, keep working. I missed hockey. And great start after first game (7-0 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday). I think it'll be good this season because I believe in this team." Kuzmenko, who signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Penguins on July 1, is expected to make his Penguins debut against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, SNE, TVAS).

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