The Minnesota Wild have not had the most active of off-seasons. They saw the departure of high-scoring winger Kevin Fiala in a major trade with the Los Angeles Kings. They were again busy in the trade department, this time shipping veteran defenseman Dmitry Kulikov to the Anaheim Ducks.
There was not much said about the Kulikov deal in the wake of the move. Given the return (future considerations), it is at best a minor deal that is barely on the radar of most fans. But what Minnesota Wild fans want to know is whether or not it was a good move and if it can affect their future odds in the NHL.
Kulikov the Player
Before we can get into whether or not it was a good deal, it helps to know what kind of player Kulikov was. In a pretty stacked Minnesota backend, Kulikov was a veteran presence that could contribute to the bottom pairing.
He is not overly big – just 6’0”, 200 lbs – but he plays a decent all-around game. The offense was never his strong suit, but he managed to put up some of the best numbers of his career in his only year in the State of Hockey.
His 6 goals were his best since 2013-14 (8), and his 17 assists and 24 points were also the best since 2011-12 (24 and 28 respectively). For a guy not known for his offense, that is a solid output. He was also decent defensively, not a clear liability at any time.
🚨TRADE🚨
We have traded Dmitry Kulikov ➡️ Anaheim Ducks for future considerations. #mnwild
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) August 31, 2022
Kulikov’s Fit
The real question became his fit within the Wild organization. As stated in the previous section, he wasn’t exactly a standout in a lot of ways. He could be solid when needed but playing bottom-pairing minutes largely means that you are interchangeable.
Given that the Wild have one of the best top-three defensive groups in the game – Matthew Dumba, Jared Spurgeon, and Jonas Brodin – there is only so much upward mobility a defender in their system can enjoy.
Though he isn’t old even by NHL standards (he is just 31 years old), he has been in the league for a long, long time. He started with the Florida Panthers in 2009-10, spending 7 seasons with the franchise. Still, compared to his competition, there was only so much room.
TRADE:
We have acquired defenseman Dmitry Kulikov from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for future considerations.➡️ https://t.co/Sl7BuEsGDY pic.twitter.com/GtZloaB5MI
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) August 31, 2022
Pending Free Agency
There is also the matter of Kulikov’s contract status to consider. Prior to the start of the 2021