The Anaheim Ducks have traded defenseman Dmitry Kulikov to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a third-round pick and forward Brock McGinn.
The trade deadline rages on.
The Anaheim Ducks continued their selling spree on Friday, trading defenseman Dmitry Kulikov to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2024 NHL draft and forward Brock McGinn.
The 32-year-old Kulikov is in the final year of his current contract, which carries a cap hit of $2.25 million and will become a UFA at season's end. Anaheim retains half of Kulikov's remaining salary.
At this point in his career, Kulikov is a known commodity. The hulking veteran is a defense-first player through and through, a shutdown defenseman who will take on difficult assignments and be tasked with stopping one of the opposing top-two lines. How successful he is in that usage is up for debate, but Kulikov has experience as a penalty-killer and has started just 46.6 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone throughout his career.
In 61 games for the Ducks this season, Kulikov has racked up three goals and 12 assists for 15 points while logging a little over 20 minutes per night in average ice time. On a Ducks team that is currently two points out of dead last in the NHL standings, Kulikov has been out-scored a whopping 39 to 57 at even-strength and seen opponents score 33 goals on the man advantage when he's on the ice.
Needless to say, Kulikov has not had the best season in 2022-23. But heading to a Penguins team in the heat of a playoff race, Kulikov's defensive responsibilities will almost certainly be lessened, putting him in a far better position to succeed in the Steel City than his time in Anaheim.
McGinn, on the other hand, is a depth forward in the midst of a down season with the Penguins this year after previously decent results. The 29-year-old has 10 goals and six assists in 60 games and was just sent to the AHL earlier this week.
It's likely he'll join the Ducks' NHL lineup moving forward.