Stan Bowman said it himself. "We certainly weren't trying to trade Brett Kulak. He's a great person and a great player on our team. We're going to miss him."
But they did trade him. Because sometimes the price of fixing one problem is creating another, and the Edmonton Oilers just lost a defenseman who's been far more valuable than two assists in 31 games suggests.
Kulak arrived in Edmonton at the 2022 trade deadline. The Oilers paid a second-round pick, a seventh-round pick, and William Lagesson to Montreal for a depth defenseman who was supposed to shore up the blue line for a playoff run. He did exactly that. Eight points in 18 regular season games, five assists in 16 playoff games, and a plus-7 rating that helped Edmonton make a deep run.
The Oilers liked what they saw enough to sign him to a four-year, $11 million contract that summer. For a team that doesn't hand out long-term deals to depth players lightly, that told you something.
Three years later, Kulak had played every single game available to him as an Oiler. All 183 regular season games. All 53 playoff games. That's 236 consecutive games where the coaching staff trusted him enough to dress him, use him, and rely on him when it counted.
He set career highs across the board in 2022-23 with three goals and 17 assists while playing all 82 games. Last season, he posted seven goals, 18 assists, and 25 points—more career highs. This season, he has two assists through 31 games, which looks underwhelming on paper until you remember that offense was never why he was here.
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Kulak was born in Stony Plain, just outside Edmonton. He grew up an Oilers fan. He played his junior hockey with the Vancouver Giants before Calgary drafted him in the fourth round in 2012. He bounced around—Calgary, Montreal, finally Edmonton. Playing for his hometown team wasn't just a job. It meant something.
Jay Woodcroft understood what Kulak brought. "He's money in the bank," Woodcroft said during the 2022-23 season. "You know what you're going to get out of Brett every single day. He's all effort. He's very professional in how he brings his approach to the rink every day and he's an unbelievable skater."
Kulak's got net front. He didn't make egregious mistakes for nights on end. He allowed the Oilers to play tight defensively, without giving opposing forwards time or space. He could recover when plays broke down. He could match up against bigger, more physical lines without getting overwhelmed because his mobility let him stay in position.
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When Mattias Ekholm went down with an injury during last year's playoffs, Kulak moved up into a top-four role and held his own. He logged big minutes, killed penalties, and helped Edmonton advance.
The Oilers outscored their opponents 62-56 at even strength when Kulak was on the ice during the 2022-23 season. He wasn't putting up big numbers, but the team performed better with him out there. That's the kind of player you don't appreciate until he's gone.
And now he's gone. Sent to Pittsburgh as the cost of acquiring Tristan Jarry. Not because the Oilers wanted to move him, but because the cap space required it. Bowman needed to make salaries work, and Kulak was the piece that fit.
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Spencer Stastney arrived in a separate trade to help fill the void. He's 25 years old with nine points in 30 games this season for Nashville. He's younger than Kulak. He has term remaining on his contract. Bowman emphasized his mobility and penalty-kill abilities when explaining the acquisition.
But he's not Kulak. He hasn't played 236 consecutive games for this organization. He wasn't excellent during the playoffs when the Oilers needed him most. He doesn't have the trust built over three years of showing up, doing the work, and never complaining about his role.
Kulak played 611 NHL games over parts of 12 seasons. He finished with 28 goals, 99 assists, and 127 points. In 98 playoff games, he added three goals, 21 assists, and 24 points. Those aren't Hall of Fame numbers. They're the numbers of a solid, reliable defenseman who did his job every single night.
Newest Oilers Will Play vs. the Maple Leafs On Saturday
New Oilers goalie Tristan Jarry and defenseman Spencer Stastney debut Saturday against the Maple Leafs. Will they ignite Edmonton's lineup?
The Oilers are banking on Jarry being the goaltending upgrade they desperately need. Maybe he is. Maybe this trade works out perfectly and Edmonton doesn't miss Kulak at all.
But losing a player who never missed a game, who elevated his play when it mattered most, who understood what playing for Edmonton meant—that's a bigger deal than people will give credit for. Kulak wasn't flashy. He wasn't a star. But he was exactly what the Oilers needed, every single night, for about four years.