Less than 24 hours after arriving, Brett Kulak delivered 19 steady minutes that quietly reshaped the Avalanche blue line and stabilized their structure from the back end out.
No grand introduction. No dramatic buildup. Just 19 minutes of controlled, assertive hockey.
Less than a day removed from the Pittsburgh Penguins, Brett Kulak looked impressive in his Colorado Avalanche debut. In a 4–2 win over Utah, the Avalanche looked structurally tighter, calmer under pressure, and less chaotic in their own end.
Kulak's first shifts in burgundy and blue were led by crisp breakouts, strong body positioning, and calculated gap management. When Utah tried to establish a forecheck, he erased it early. When plays threatened to extend, he ended them cleanly. The details — the kind that win playoff games — were present from the onset.
Immediate Chemistry
Paired with Sam Malinski on the third unit, Kulak gave Colorado something it has craved: balance. Malinski had the green light to activate offensively, confident the defensive layer behind him wouldn’t crack. And when Jared Bednar rotated him alongside others — including Josh Manson — the poise remained.
“(Kulak) was good,” Bednar stated after the game. “Some pressing scoring chances, he did a nice job, got beat on a creative play by the end boards play where (Lawson Crouse) got a good shot in front of the net...didn't look like he was expecting that.
“But for the most part, (he) looked pretty comfortable in our structure of our game, moved the puck pretty well, he skated the puck to the red line, made some plays. So for me...good quality minutes against very skilled forwards and he did a nice job.”
Kulak logged 19:03 in all situations — trailing only the top pair of Cale Makar (22:40) and Devon Toews (21:38), along with Brent Burns (19:06). He skated more than both Malinski (16:11) and Manson (17:50).
In his first game with a new team, Kulak handled the workload like a true veteran — composed, efficient, and unfazed.
The Different Look
After the trade, Bednar spoke about wanting a “different look” on the back end — someone who could stabilize defensive-zone shifts, take on difficult minutes, and simplify the game when it starts to unravel. Kulak checked every box in one night.
The ripple effect was obvious.
For the first time in four meetings, Utah didn’t turn the game into a grind. There were no prolonged defensive scrambles. No momentum-swinging flurries that felt inevitable. Colorado dictated pace. They exited cleanly. They were strong defensively. The game felt managed from the blue line outward.
It's only one game. But if this is the standard, the Avalanche are in good shape on the back end.
Now, only a third-line center remains to be acquired.
