Panthers Re-Sign Dmitry Kulikov To Four-Year Extension

The Florida Panthers have re-signed defenseman Dmitry Kulikov to a four-year, $4.6MM contract extension, per Bob McKenzie of TSN (Twitter link). The deal carries an annual cap hit of $1.15MM.

Kulikov had a storybook return to the Panthers organization this season. He scored just one goal and 20 points in 76 games, adding 63 penalty minutes, and a +15.  He didn’t add any scoring in the postseason, though he still appeared in 22 of the team’s 24 postseason games. And still, Kulikov concluded the year by lifting the Stanley Cup with the club that drafted him 15 years ago.

Florida was Kulikov’s home for the first seven years of his career, stepping into the NHL immediately after being drafted 14th overall in the 2009 NHL Draft. He was drafted following a QMJHL championship-winning season with the Drummondville Voltigeurs and carried his impactful lineup role into the pros, scoring 16 points in 68 games as a rookie. Kulikov found a stout role as a defensive defender early in his career that he hasn’t let go of since, even as he’s gone on to play 948 career games with eight different clubs.

That consistent impact is beginning to slow down as Kulikov approaches 34, with his role now much more centered around the bottom pairing. But it’s a role that he nonetheless serves well, and one that he’ll return to with Florida next season – especially following the departure of Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who has chosen to test free agency.