Report: Panthers to re-sign Dmitry Kulikov to four-year, $1.15M AAV

It looks like one of the veteran blueliners in South Beach is hanging around for a few more years.

According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, the Florida Panthers are re-signing defenseman Dmitry Kulikov to a four-year contract. The deal will carry a $1.15 million AAV through the 2027-28 season.

Kulikov is fresh off his first season in his second stint with the Panthers. He was on a one-year, $1 million contract this past year, and was a depth option for the team as it went on to win its first Stanley Cup, defeating the Edmonton Oilers in seven games.

Kulikov played in 76 games during the regular season, posting a goal and 19 assists, registering a plus/minus of +15. The Lipetsk, Russia native played in all 24 playoff games, putting up one assist, and a -1 rating.

The Panthers are the seventh team Kulikov has been with over the last five seasons and the eighth NHL team in his 15-year career. After playing seven seasons with Florida, the team that took him 14th overall in the 2009 NHL Draft, Kulikov spent the 2016-17 season with the Buffalo Sabres, before signing with the Winnipeg Jets the following year. He played for the Jets for three seasons, before signing with the New Jersey Devils in 2020. From there, he was traded to the Oilers in April 2021 and signed by the Minnesota Wild later that offseason. Kulikov was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in the summer of 2022, before being moved to the Pittsburgh Penguins prior to the 2022-23 deadline.

In 948 NHL games, the 33-year-old has scored 46 goals and 188 assists, including 10 points in 53 playoff games.

With the potential signing, the Panthers would have 37 players under a standard player contract next season. According to CapFriendly, Florida will have a little over $8.6 million in projected cap space.