Kulikov excited to join Jets blue line

WINNIPEG - Dmitry Kulikov had never been a free agent at any point in his career, and he thought the process would take a lot longer than it did.
But the Winnipeg Jets wouldn't let that happen.
"From the time I started talking to them, I felt in my gut that I think Winnipeg is the right fit for me, and I should be a Jet," Kulikov said via a conference call from Boca Raton, Florida.
"Looking at the roster and the players that we have, it's an impressive group."
The 26-year-old from Lipetsk, Russia put his name to a three-year contract with an average annual value of $4,333,333 on Saturday, just hours after the NHL's Free Agency period opened up.

But it wasn't only Jets General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff and management making the pitch to the left-handed defenceman. Captain Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele had a little something to do with it as well.
"I know Scheifele from a couple summers ago. I trained with him in Canada. I skated with Wheeler this summer a couple times," Kulikov said. "They played a big role in my decision. They pretty much sold me on Winnipeg and talking about how good the team is and how good the guys are in the locker room."
Kulikov has played in 507 career NHL games, scoring 30 goals and 143 points during that time. The majority of those came over seven seasons with the Florida Panthers between 2009 and 2016.

From there, Kulikov played the 2016-17 season with the Buffalo Sabres. He played in 47 games, hampered by a back injury he sustained after getting hit into an open bench door.
"Our trainers talked to the trainers in Buffalo and went through how he dealt with it, what he did, and his recovery time period. Ultimately, everyone felt comfortable," said Cheveldayoff. "He's skating on a regular basis with Blake Wheeler in Florida. At the end of the day, we've had guys that have had injuries and they heal over the summer, or they do the proper therapy to make sure they're strong in the areas that they need to be, and we feel comfortable there."
Cheveldayoff said the team was confident in the group of defencemen the Jets had on the roster heading into last season, but never got to see them all together, especially with the 71 games Tyler Myers missed.
But the addition of Kulikov makes that group of blue liners even better heading into 2017-18.
"The depth of our defence is certainly greatly increased today with Dmitry," said Cheveldayoff. "We have three unbelievable right shot defensemen. Now with Toby and Dmitry, that gives us two experienced left shot defensemen - and the sky is the limit for (Josh) Morrissey."

Over the course of his eight-year NHL career, Kulikov continued to improve his defensive game. It was something he felt he needed to focus on, after he registered 62 points in 57 games with Drummondville of the QMJHL.
"Learning from my team and coaches, it was take care of your own end first, and the offense will come from there," said Kulikov. "I feel like that's been my motto and I've excelled at playing in my own zone. I'm trying to add an offensive part to my game that's kind of been forgotten over the years."
Kulikov has experience playing on the penalty kill as well, and enjoys the challenge of going against the top players in the NHL. Now, he's relishing the opportunity to help the Jets return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
"I can tell you from the time I was in Florida, it was always hard to play in Winnipeg when they were playing in front of their own crowd," he said. "I made a decision to join the team because I feel like they are the team that has all the pieces and they are moving in the right direction. It's an exciting future for this organization and I'm happy to be a part of it."