Seven years later, Dmitry Kulikov returns to Florida Panthers with ‘unfinished business’
Dmitry Kulikov never wanted to leave the Florida Panthers.
The defenseman was only 18 when he became a Panther, a first-round pick by the franchise in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and an immediate fixture in the lineup only a few months later. He made a home in South Florida and, even when he was bouncing around the league for the past seven years, he always returned there to start training late in the summer. He only left in 2016 because the Panthers traded him to the Buffalo Sabres just a few months after Kulikov helped Florida reach the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in four years.
“When I didn’t play for the Panthers, it’s been in my heart,” the 32-year-old Russian said Monday while taking part in Florida’s annual Summer Reading Tour at the South Regional/Broward College Library in Pembroke Pines. “I’ve been a Panther since Day 1 and now I’m back, and I’m very excited.”
The way his tenure ended, and now seeing how Florida has become a perennial contender in the seven years since he left, has left Kulikov longing for this sort of opportunity. He dreamed of helping the Panthers contend for a Stanley Cup — and they came closer than ever to winning one last season, reaching the Stanley Cup Final for only the second time in their history — and now he will get a chance to.
“It just feels like it was some unfinished business,” he said.
Even though he never quite lived up to the expectations that come with being a first-round pick, Kulikov had his best years in Florida and hasn’t had any sort of stability since. He only spent one season in Buffalo after the Panthers traded him and then signed a three-year deal with the Jets.
After leaving Winnipeg, Kulikov played for five teams in three years. In all, he has played for seven different teams in the seven seasons since Florida traded him.
Last year, Kulikov split his time between the Ducks and Penguins, getting dealt from Anaheim to Pittsburgh in March ahead of the trade deadline. He played in 61 games with three goals and 12 assists for the Ducks, and then appeared in just six games for the Penguins, who wound up missing out on the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. Kulikov’s season totals were three goals, 13 assists, 84 shots and 108 blocked shots with a plus-minus of minus-13.
The Panthers signed him to a low-risk one-year, $1 million deal last month to try to rebuild some defensive depth with star defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour both expected to miss the start of the 2023-24 NHL season with injuries they sustained during Florida’s run to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. Those injuries mean he’ll get every chance to earn a full-time role in the early stages of next season.
“The team is really good,” Kulikov said. “We had a good team before I left and the Panthers just continued the good run, and have been a playoff team and obviously this last playoffs they made a really good run to the Finals. I’m excited for the opportunity to come back and contribute to the success that the team has had in the last six years that I haven’t been here.”
Only two players remain from Kulikov’s first stint in Florida — Ekblad and All-Star center Aleksander Barkov — and yet he still feels at home back with the Panthers.
At this time about a year ago, Kulikov dropped by the Florida Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs to get a skate in and bumped into Paul Maurice, whom he played for with the Jets. They caught up and chatted about Maurice’s new endeavor, and then went their separate ways.
A year later, Kulikov is getting ready to play for the coach again and he’s hoping it will be for more than just one year.
“I would love,” Kulikov said, “to stay here for as long as I can.”
