Edmonton Oilers acquire defenceman Dmitry Kulikov from New Jersey Devils for a 4th-round pick
**Breaking News ** @NJDevils likely to send D Kulikov to @EdmontonOilers foe a Draft Pick @TSNHockey @NHLNetwork @NHL #HockeyTwitter
— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) April 12, 2021
Sportsnet's Mark Spector, building on Weekes' report, has added that the Oilers will likely part with a sixth-round pick for the privilege.
That would be a sixth, we'd assume.
— Mark Spector (@SportsnetSpec) April 12, 2021
Veteran LH D, age 30, low points. https://t.co/BzM9PRwKd6
(Editor's note: It has since been revealed that the return was a conditional fourth-round pick)
Kulikov, 30, is playing on a one-year deal valued at $1.15-million. It doesn't sound like the Devils retained any salary to grease the wheels on this trade either.
He's not been particularly productive this season, with only two assists to show for his 38 games played this season, but offence has never really been his calling card anyway. As colleague JFresh notes, Kulikov is big, mean, and his in-zone defence is high-end relative to other NHL defenders.
Dimitry Kulikov, acquired by EDM, is a pretty solid defensive defenceman who's having himself a great (probably sample-size-outlier) season for the Devils. #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/tHqkau4qL8
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) April 12, 2021
The Oilers needed depth on the blue line, and they got it without surrendering a premium asset for their trouble. The Devils get a pick for a pending UFA defenceman who has no future with the team. Everyone leaves happy, I reckon.
