Ducks trade Klingberg to Wild, Kulikov to Penguins
At the start of the season, the expectation was that the Ducks could flip defenseman John Klingberg at the trade deadline for a first-round draft pick.
Unfortunately, for the Ducks, reality did not match expectations. On Friday, they traded to the Minnesota Wild for three pieces — a fourth-round draft pick in 2025, minorleague defenseman Andrej Sustr and the rights to forward prospect Nikita Nesterenko, a source said.
Additionally, the Ducks will be retaining 50% of Klingberg's salary.
Sustr is a familiar face to the Ducks, having been with the organization two other times, appearing in five games with Anaheim in 2018-19 and 23 more games in 202122. Nesterenko, a sixthround draft pick (No. 172) by the Wild in 2019, has 30 points in 32 games with Boston College.
Last summer in free agency, Klingberg essentially bet on himself, signing a one-year, $7-million contract with the Ducks. But it was a rough transition for him in Anaheim, especially at the start. With the Ducks, he had 24 points in 50 games and was a minus-28.
Earlier in the day, the
Ducks added more draft capital by trading defenseman Dmitry Kulikov to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a third-round pick in 2024 and left wing Brock McGinn. The Ducks were able to slightly improve the return for Kulikov by taking on a contract that Pittsburgh was trying to shed in McGinn, and they retained some of Kulikov's contract.
Essentially, they probably would not have received a third-rounder for Kulikov if they hadn't taken on McGinn's contract. McGinn, 29, had been put on waivers Tuesday, clearing a day later, and the Penguins had been trying to find a spot for him so they could upgrade in the present.
Kulikov's stay with the Ducks was not a long one. They acquired him in August from the Minnesota Wild for future considerations and he had 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) and was a minus-11 in 61 games with the Ducks this season. He is due to be an unrestricted free agent and the Ducks sat him, along with Klingberg, for Wednesday's game against Washington for trade-related reasons.
The Ducks now have 12 picks in the first three rounds of the next two drafts — two first-round selections, five secondrounders and five more in the third round.