SUNRISE, Fla. – Florida Panthers General Manager Bill Zito announced today that the club has agreed to terms with defenseman Dmitry Kulikov on a one-year, one-way contract.
“Dmitry is an experienced blueliner who brings a tough, physical presence to his game,” said Zito. “We look forward to welcoming Dmitry back to South Florida.”
Kulikov, 32, appeared in 61 regular season games with the Anaheim Ducks in 2022-23 before being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins where he appeared in six games. He recorded 16 points (3-13-16) throughout the 2022-23 season.
The 6-foot-1, 201-pound native of Lipetsk, RUS was drafted by Florida in the first round (14th overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft and has appeared in 872 career NHL games between Florida (2009-10 to 2015-16), Buffalo (2016-17), Winnipeg (2017-18 to 2019-20), New Jersey (2020-21), Edmonton (2020-21), Minnesota (2021-22) and Anaheim (2022-23). The 14-season NHL veteran has amassed 214 career points (45-169-214). Throughout his career, Kulikov has recorded eight points (1-7-8) in 29 postseason games.
On the international stage, Kulikov has represented Russia in several tournaments, including the IIHF Under-18 World Championships where he won gold in 2007 and silver in 2008. He also won bronze at the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship and competed at the IIHF World Championships in 2010, 2011 and 2015. In 2016, he played in the World Cup of Hockey.
In 2008-09, Kulikov won a QMJHL Championship and was named the QMJHL Rookie of the Year and QMJHL Defenseman of the Year with the Drummondville Voltigeurs. Kulikov previously had spent seven seasons with Florida (2009-10 through 2015-16), earning 138 points (28-110-138) during that span.
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