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Edmonton Oilers player review and 2023-24 preview: Brett Kulak
Photo credit: © Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
By Zach Laing
Oct 7, 2023, 17:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 7, 2023, 18:15 EDT
Welcome to the 2022-23 season review and 2023-24 season preview player-by-player! In this and other articles, we’ll be, well, reviewing the 2022-23 season of Edmonton Oilers players and previewing their 2023-24 season. You can read about the analytics behind my analysis here.
Welcome back, Brett Kulak.
5×5 | NHL GP | TOI + TOI/GP | G – A – P | CF | CA | CF% | SCF | SCA | SCF% | GF | GA | GF% | xGF | xGA | xGF% | PDO |
Individual | 82 | 1251.73 | 13-3-16 | 1117 | 1141 | 49.47 | 570 | 556 | 50.62 | 56 | 52 | 51.85 | 57.1 | 54.89 | 50.99 | 1.01 |
Per/60 | 15.27 | 0.60-0.00-0.6 | 53.54 | 54.69 | 27.32 | 26.65 | 2.68 | 2.49 | 2.74 | 2.63 | ||||||
Per/60, RelTm% | -6.4 | 2.67 | -4.07 | -5.55 | -0.53 | -4.12 | -0.33 | -0.1 | -1.93 | -0.31 | 0.11 | -3.77 |
In terms of depth defencemen go, Brett Kulak might be one of the best the Oilers have had in a long time. Acquired in a deadline deal with the Montreal Canadiens a year and a half ago, he stepped into the Oilers lineup and made an immediate positive impact.
He helped solidify a shaky defence and played a big role in the clubs ability to get to the Western Conference finals. While last season may not have been flashy from him, he was about as good as you could ask a defenceman to be. He was + in terms of 5×5 goal share, and posted underlying numbers that more than kept him in the mix.
For Kulak himself, however, it was a step back in terms of past production but now he has a chance to step in again this season and turn that around. The addition of Mattias Ekholm last year knocked him down the depth chart, and allowed him to work in depth roles against softer competition.
All this, mind you, as he scored a career-high 20 point last season. He may not put up that kind of offensive production again in a season, but what he will do is provide more than enough stability to the depth of the Oilers’ blueline.
KULAK’S CAREER SO FAR
Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||
Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
2010-11 | Vancouver Giants | WHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | — | — | — | — | — |
2011-12 | Vancouver Giants | WHL | 72 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 22 | 28 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
2012-13 | Vancouver Giants | WHL | 72 | 12 | 32 | 44 | 34 | -34 | — | — | — | — | — |
2012-13 | Abbotsford Heat | AHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | — | — | — | — | — |
2013-14 | Vancouver Giants | WHL | 69 | 14 | 46 | 60 | 51 | -8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
2013-14 | Abbotsford Heat | AHL | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
2014-15 | Adirondack Flames | AHL | 26 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 27 | -2 | — | — | — | — | — |
2014-15 | Colorado Eagles | ECHL | 39 | 9 | 21 | 30 | 15 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — |
2014-15 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
2015-16 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | — | — | — | — | — |
2015-16 | Stockton Heat | AHL | 59 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 36 | -9 | — | — | — | — | — |
2016-17 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 21 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 12 | -3 | — | — | — | — | — |
2016-17 | Stockton Heat | AHL | 22 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
2017-18 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 71 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 27 | -3 | — | — | — | — | — |
2018-19 | Laval Rocket | AHL | 19 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
2018-19 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 57 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 31 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — |
2019-20 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 56 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 12 | -1 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
2020-21 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 46 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 20 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
2021-22 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 56 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 33 | -10 | — | — | — | — | — |
2021-22 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 18 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 6 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 12 |
2022-23 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 82 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 41 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
NHL Totals | 416 | 18 | 66 | 84 | 190 | 51 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 25 |
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.
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