EDMONTON, AB - Defence first.
Oilers President of Hockey Operations & General Manager Ken Holland applied that mentality to Monday's National Hockey League Trade Deadline by acquiring former New Jersey Devils defender Dmitry Kulikov for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.
Deadline day presents organizations with a final opportunity to configure their lineup before the post-season and given that the Oilers have the top-two leading scorers in the League with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Holland felt as though bolstering the blueline was the highest priority.
"Money was tight and the assets were tight. I felt that the priority was to get a little bit deeper on the back end," Holland explained.
"He's a left-shot defenceman that's played over 700 NHL games. He's an experienced guy and I think he's played over 20 playoff games. He can skate, he can make a good first pass and he's defensive-minded. He's got some edge to his game and he can kill penalties."
Holland's move was made with the playoffs in mind, providing the Orange & Blue with a shutdown skater that can pass the puck up ice and smother attackers in the defensive end. In the 2020-21 campaign, Kulikov has averaged 19:33 of ice time per night and has been a big part of the Devils' penalty kill, leading the team with 95:51 minutes shorthanded.
