Defenceman Dmitry Kulikov has signed a contract with the Winnipeg Jets. This deal earns him $12.99 million over three years. The annual cap hit on the contract is $4.33 million. Kulikov brings over 500 games of experience to his new organization, an invaluable asset to have in the line-up.
3 years, $4.33 aav for Kulikov in Wpg.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) July 1, 2017
Dmitry Kulikov to Sign With the Winnipeg Jets
Kulikov was the first round pick, 14th overall, by the Florida Panthers in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Kulikov played the first seven seasons of his NHL career in South Florida, playing in 507 games with the Panthers. During that time, Kulikov scored 28 goals and adding 110 assists to his total.
Kulikov ended up plying his trade with the Buffalo Sabres during the 2016-17 season, having one of the least fruitful seasons of his eight-year career. Kulikov played in the least amount of games in a full season during his career (47), and this was his only season without double digit points in a season, with only five this year.
Kulikov will be hungry to bounce back this season, making him a solid signing. He can add solid depth to the defensive pairings. The Jets, however, will be hoping that the signing pays off and Kulikov can put last season behind him and improve on the rather pedestrian five points in 47 games he had.
Kulikov also played in the KHL for 22 games during the 2012-13 season for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv. During those 22 games he had three goals and three assists. Safe to say that Kulikov isn’t an offensive juggernaut regardless of where he is playing. The Jets organization should expect much of the same.
During his eight year NHL career, Kulikov has 326 penalty minutes in his 507 career games. He has also made two Stanley Cup Playoffs appearances with the Florida Panthers. The first came in the 2011-12 season, where he had a single assist in seven playoff games. His second appearance came in the 2015-16 playoffs, where he had one goal and three assists in six playoff games.
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