KULIKOV PUMPED FOR PLAYOFF RUN WITH OILERS
Steady veteran adds some depth to defensive corps as games get bigger
Dmitry Kulikov doesn't necessarily move the excitement needle, but he's adept at stopping opponents who do. And since that's one area the Edmonton Oilers need help with, they're adding him for the stretch drive.
A left-shot defenceman who focuses on defence first, Kulikov adds some size (six-foot-one, 204 pounds) and plenty of experience after 12 years and 715 games in the NHL.
In coming from New Jersey to Edmonton, he moves from a bad team — the Devil are seventh in their division — just ahead of the woeful Buffalo Sabres, to an Oilers team hoping to go at least two rounds deep this summer.
“For a couple of days I heard rumours, and the GM here was talking to me, he didn't tell me who was interested, so I had no idea where I might end up,” said Kulikov, who's quite pleased to have landed where he did. “Now that I'm now where I'm going it's a little easier to relax.
“I'm just excited for the chance to be in the playoffs and help a team compete for a Stanley Cup. From playing against Edmonton three years in Winnipeg, they're a high-powered team. I'm happy for the opportunity.
“I haven't paid much attention to the Canadian division this year, but they've always been an electrifying team to watch and I'm just excited to be part of that group.”
The Oilers spent a conditional fourth-round draft pick (that becomes a third-rounder if Edmonton wins a playoff round) to get him. Kulikov has appeared in 24 career playoff games, but never made it past the first round, so he wants to a deep run just as badly as the Oilers do.
“That's all you can ask for, the chance at the playoffs and a chance to compete for the Cup. That's what we play for so, I'm fortunate and grateful for the opportunity.”
Kulikov, 30, had been playing on the second pairing in New Jersey with PK Subban and could bolster Edmonton's defensive strength on the left side, where Kris Russell and Caleb Jones fill the second and third spots.
But while he's labelled as a penalty-killing shutdown defenceman, he says the elements of his game that got him drafted 14th overall by Florida in 2009 are still there.
“I'm still the same player I was when I broke into the league,” said Kulikov, who was good for about 20 points a year in the first half of his career.
“Yes, the roles have changed, but I haven't changed my game. It's hard to get points from the blue line if you aren't on the power play, so that's where the production kind of went down.
“But I would say I'm still the same things I was when I broke into the league — I'm fast, I can move the puck, I can play physical.”
Defensive defencemen are a unique breed, typically hardedged players who log tough minutes and always put the team ahead of themselves. They have few stats to boast about at the end of the night, but their value, especially in the playoffs, is enormous.
“I take pride in that challenge,” said Kulikov, who is playing out a one-year, Us$1.15-million contract that he signed in New Jersey after the Jets chose not to re-sign him.
“When I got put in that role in Florida I took pride in that, took pride in being consistent when playing against the best players.
“I've been told that playing against the best players, you're not always going to shut them down completely. They're going to get their chances. You just have to limit them. I've been sticking to that and it's been good.”
And of course, playing on a team with Connor Mcdavid and Leon Draisaitl on it is always the cherry on top for any player traded to the Oilers.
Just ask Tyson Barrie what it's done for his market value.
“Very excited, they are two of the best in the league,” said Kulikov. “It was very hard to play against them, but it was very fun to watch them play against other teams. When they're scoring points against the other teams, you're just glad that it isn't you.”
Kulikov will have to wait out a weeklong quarantine from the time he arrives in Edmonton. That means he'll miss the backto-back games Friday and Saturday in Vancouver and Winnipeg and likely Monday's game against the Canadiens, depending on when the clock starts ticking on his mandatory timeout.
“We're trying to figure it out right now. Flying into Canada and starting to quarantine.”