Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov expected to make Penguins debut Tuesday
The bulk of Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ron Hextall’s focus at the recent trade deadline was on how to retool his bottom-six forwards.
He jettisoned forwards Teddy Blueger, Kasperi Kapanen as well as Brock McGinn while annexing Nick Bonino and Mikael Granlund.
But he didn’t ignore his blue line.
On Friday afternoon, he acquired defenseman Dmitry Kulikov from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for McGinn and a third-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Unable to make the trek across the continent from Southern California to South Florida in time to join his new teammates for a 4-1 road loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday, Kulikov finally arrived in Pittsburgh on Sunday night.
Despite those logistical challenges, it doesn’t appear it will take long for him to stake a spot in the lineup.
During Monday’s practice at PPG Paints Arena, the left-hander found himself on the left side of the third defensive pairing working with right-hander Jan Rutta.
Rookie left-hander P.O Joseph was demoted to a “fourth” pair with reserve righty Chad Ruhwedel.
“Anytime you add a competitive NHL player to the group,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said, “I think it creates more internal competition for everybody to be at their best.”
What Kulikov largely does best is defend. A 14-year veteran, Kulikov, 32, led the Ducks this season with an average of 3 minutes, 9 seconds of short-handed ice time.
“I try to play (an) honest game, work hard and play the game that I play, don’t cheat and make plays when they’re there,” Kulikov said. “Make simple plays when I have to. Play hard on defense and also be part of the offense, of course. I believe it’s a five-man game. When you’re defending, all five should defend. When you’re on offense, all five guys should be on offense. If you’re a defenseman, it doesn’t mean that you just stay at the blue line and let the forwards do all the work. You’ve got to help out, too, on the offense.”
In 61 games this season, Kulikov (6-foot-1, 201 pounds) has 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) while averaging 20:13 of overall ice time per contest.
“I don’t know if I have to do anything different,” Kulikov said. “Obviously, I’m here because of how I played previously. (Penguins management) liked what kind of game that I’m playing. We’ll see on game days where I am.”
Sullivan all but guaranteed Kulikov will make his Penguins debut in Tuesday’s home game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“He’s a real trustworthy defenseman, Sullivan said. “He’s good on the penalty kill. In Anaheim, he played against a lot of (opponents’) top players all year long. His size and his strength I think will help us. He’s just a reliable, trustworthy guy that I think brings a defensive conscience, some solid penalty-killing ability, and I just think makes us harder to play against back there.”
Notes: Forward Jake Guentzel was absent from practice Monday for what was termed as a “maintenance day.” Sullivan indicated Guentzel is expected to be in the lineup Tuesday. … Forward Ryan Poehling participated during practice, albeit in a non-contact fashion. A series of undisclosed injuries have hobbled him since December, causing him to miss 25 of the past 38 games. Sullivan labeled Poehling’s presence as “significant progress” in his recovery.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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