Sabres: Dmitry Kulikov Admits He Didn’t Know How to Handle Trade
By Paul Taylor
Dmitry Kulikov visited Buffalo earlier this week, and spent some time talking to Sabres TV about his adjustment to being part of a new team.
In the lead-up to this year’s draft, the general consensus was the Buffalo Sabres would add a left-shot defenseman in the first round, to deal with their lack of depth at the position. However, the Sabres ended up going in a different direction, by picking Alexander Nylander.
In fairness, Tim Murray’s plan was apparently always to draft the best-available player, regardless of their position. However, the selection of Nylander was still somewhat of a shock.
In that respect, Dmitry Kulikov was taken slightly aback, when the Sabres decided to deal with their dearth of left-shot defenseman, by trading for him. Speaking to Sabres TV host Brian Duff, he said: “At first, I didn’t do how to handle it, as I’ve never been traded.
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“I’ve been cut from teams before when I was younger (laughs), but I’ve never been traded. It was a different feeling…because you’re with a team for many years and then suddenly you’re not, so it was shocking at first.”
However, Kulikov soon got over this, as thoughts turned to the upcoming campaign: “Within a week, (I was thinking) I couldn’t wait for the season to start.
“I couldn’t wait for training camp to start, come here and obviously looking for a place. Getting closer to the season, it’s just getting really, really exciting.”
As things stand, the 2009 14th overall draft pick is expected to line up alongside either Rasmus Ristolainen or Zach Bogosian. General Manager Tim Murray praised Kulikov’s ability to play in all situations and being difficult for the opposition to deal with.
Regardless of any praise, this figures to be an important season for the 25-year old, who is in the final year of his current contract and will be playing for a new deal. While having excellent skating skills and offensive instincts, he is inconsistent and has so far struggled to grasp the intricacies of the game.
As such, maybe a change of scenery was a blessing in disguise for Kulikov, after seven seasons in Florida: “(My family and friends) have been supportive of the situation and the trade…everybody thinks it’s for the best.
“I’m used to change (from my time with the Panthers). I think every year is a different story, so I’m excited to start this one.”
Part of that excitement for the Lipetsk, Russian native comes from moving to a team headed in the right direction: “The group of players we have now, and think we’re going to be contenders for the playoffs and the Stanley Cup for the next few years for sure.
“We’ve got a young group of players who are really talented and the veteran players, just judging by my own experience playing against Buffalo in the past couple of years, have been tough…We’ll be a fun team to watch.”
Overall, this is Kulikov’s chance to show he has what it takes to succeed, while playing as part of a Sabres team being built for long-term success. It’s now up to him to prove himself, if he wants to remain in Western New York past the 2016-17 season.
Next: Marcus Foligno's last chance in Buffalo
Now that we’ve had some time to digest the trade, what are your thoughts about Kulikov? Will he prove to be a good acquisition, or do you believe he offers little towards the Sabres’ ambitions of playoff hockey? Let us know in the comments section below.