THREE THINGS: Dmitry Kulikov Checks the Boxes

If we go back to Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald's end-of-season press conference, he outlined what he believes the team's needs are going forward, without any hesitancy. Fitzgerald was honest, succinct, a man with a plan.
"We definitely need to look at the back end," Fitzgerald said in June. "We need some size, some hardness, with the ability to move the puck."
On Thursday, he once again made an addition to check those needs off the list with the addition of veteran defenseman Dmitry Kulikov. The veteran NHL defenseman has signed a one-year deal.
Here are Three Things: Dmitry Kulikov, presented by Wawa.

1. Nothing Flashy

Kulikov plays a heavy game. You won't see any off-the-chart offensive numbers, but that's not where he'll be leaned upon. He plays that tough, physical game and isn't afraid to put himself in the shooting lanes.
Last season with Winnipeg he finished second on their team with 77 blocked shots and averaged 1:22 a game on the penalty kill.
"I don't think we need anything flashy. I just think we need to be more of a presence back there," Fitzgerald said in June.
Kulikov is known as a tough player to play against, willing to throw the big hit, including 104 last season, will bring a new layer of physicality to the Devils backend, checking off that 'presence' box for Fitzgerald.

2. The Experience

Presence isn't just a combination of on-ice stats, it's also about the experience. That's another checkmark for Kulikov. A veteran of 11 NHL seasons, he entered the NHL in the 2009-10 season with the Florida Panthers, the team that drafted him 14th overall in 2009. Those 11 seasons are important, but so are the playoff pushes' and experience the 29-year-old now brings to the Devils lineup.
"I think trying to support this group, I whole-heartedly believe we can't just have kids playing in the National Hockey League," Fitzgerald said earlier this summer, "You've got to have men supporting them, I say that with all due respect to our young men. But experience is something that you can't just create it."
There will be no need to create experience for Kulikov, he's got his, appearing in the post-season with the Jets the past three years and twice with the Florida Panthers between 2011 and 2016. Those five years of playoff experience, those high-intensity games, will be an asset to a relatively young Devils core. Kulikov is now is the second oldest member of the defensive corp, behind P.K. Subban who is 31 and has 96 games of playoff experience.

3. Left, Right, Left

Kulikov is now the second left-shooting defenseman Fitzgerald has added during the off-season. He follows Ryan Murray, acquired just before free agency opened. Will Butcher joins them as the three left-shooting defensemen on the current roster, providing some balance to the right shots of Subban, Damon Severson, and Connor Carrick.
Kulikov is an experienced, physical left-shot defenseman who skates well," said Fitzgerald when announcing the signing. "His ability to play both the right and left side brings value to our defense corps."
Indeed, his versatility, including having jumped into a top-pairing role last season with the Winnipeg Jets when they faced injury trouble, is another strong asset for Fitzgerald and head coach Lindy Ruff. Kulikov likes to jump into the offense, which if executed fits into the type of transition play Ruff outlined that he'd like to see from his new team focusing on the five-man unit and quicker transitions and also echo's Fitzgerald's set of needs in finding defensemen that can move the puck. He won't put up the numbers offensively, but he'll help the play get to the zone so others can capitalize.

And One More Thing...

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