A Bird in the Hand…
3 years ago
Old fogies like me are well aware of the tried-and-true saying, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,” and that’s what makes Dmitry Kulikov a very solid acquisition by the Edmonton Oilers prior to today’s NHL trade deadline. He’s not the big splash some fans wanted, but he fills a need.
Kulikov, 30, obtained for a conditional fourth-round draft pick in 2022, isn’t a big name. He’s not a flashy puck-mover or a guy who puts up impressive offensive numbers, but he is a proven NHL defenceman with 715 regular season games and 24 more in the playoffs on his resume. Kulikov can give Dave Tippett reliable top-four minutes on his blueline and on the penalty killing units in the stretch drive to playoffs and in the post-season.
Kulikov is what he is, and we know what he is. Back to the old saying, we cannot say the same thing with certainty about the two birds in the bush on the left side of Tippett’s blueline corps – Caleb Jones and William Lagesson. At some point down the road, Jones, who has played 82 regular season games, or Lagesson, who has 25 in the books, might be that top-four left-side D-man Tippett can count on, but they aren’t that yet.
Right now, Kulikov is an upgrade on both Jones and Lagesson. He gives Tippett the luxury of running three veterans on the left side in Darnell Nurse (392 games), Kulikov (715) and Kris Russell (877) with Tyson Barrie (596), Ethan Bear (119) and Adam Larsson (589) on the right side as a top six. If Tippett opts to use Bear with Nurse and Barrie with Kulikov, that’s a nice mix of whoa-guys and go-guys in terms of pairings. Kulikov could also play with Larsson in a shut-down pairing.
A RAVE REVIEW
Mar 21, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New Jersey Devils defenseman Dmitry Kulikov (70) steps into the penalty box against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. New Jersey won 2-1 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
New Jersey broadcaster Ken Daneyko, a tough as nails and mean as hell D-man who won three Stanley Cups with the Devils, had a front row seat watching Kulikov in the 38 games he played this season, paired mainly with P.K. Subban. He talked to Bob Stauffer of 630 CHED today not long after the deal was done.
“I will say, he’s a lot better than I anticipated when the Devils did sign him,” Daneyko said of Kulikov, who joined the Devils from Winnipeg to start this season. “A young team that’s been through some struggles up and down, but he was a real steady influence back there, very strong on the boards. We know come playoff time, you’ve got to win puck battles, you have to have a strong stick . . . he could be a pretty nice shutdown pair with Adam Larsson.
“Two guys that are big, strong, can kill penalties. He skates well enough to play against top players, so I think it’s a real good acquisition for the Oilers where they are. Come playoff time, the ice shrinks a little bit, the game gets a little more physical as far as battles. Guys pay the price a little more and hit a little more that maybe didn’t in the past. Kulikov is that type of player.
“Not flashy, steady, but he skates pretty well for a big man. I like the trade for Edmonton from that standpoint. Again, he did a really nice job here in New Jersey, much better than I anticipated. He’s plenty strong enough. He doesn’t get bounced off the puck. That’s what I mean by winning battles.
“I think you’re getting a real good piece, a depth defenceman. We always talk about you can’t have enough good defencemen. Sometimes, simpler is better and if he brings that type of game to the Oilers, especially come playoff time, I think it’s going to be a valuable asset.”
THE BOTTOM LINE
For a guy like Daneyko, who knows the game and knows the position the way he does, to heap that much praise on Kulikov, I’m guessing Ken Holland might have found himself an understated bargain, even if the Kulikov is a UFA after this season. The conditional fourth-round pick in 2022 becomes a third-round pick if the Oilers win a round in the playoffs. I’ll take that all day.
As an aside, Kulikov will have to quarantine for seven days and then get some workouts in to get his legs under him. His first game with the Oilers will be against the Jets on April 26.
Previously by Robin Brownlee
Recent articles from Robin Brownlee
