Buffalo Sabres Need To Move On From Dmitry Kulikov

The Buffalo Sabres took a risk when they shipped Mark Pysyk out of town, and it backfired miserably.  Time to cut their losses and go back to the drawing board.

Newsflash: the Buffalo Sabres might wind up regretting the trade that sent Mark Pysyk to Florida in exchange for Dmitry Kulikov.

By “news flash,” I clearly mean, “Captain Obvious statement.”  There were not too many fans who were overjoyed with the trade when it originally went down, and the longer the 2016-17 season has gone on, the more egg lands on GM Tim Murray’s face.

Update: when I first wrote this I failed to discuss the other parts of the trade; namely, Buffalo receiving the 33rd pick in the 2016 NHL Draft which they used on Rasmus Asplund, and Florida receiving the 38th and 89th pick, which they used on Adam Mascherin and Linus Nassen.  My apologies, and thanks to the fans who brought this up on Twitter and in the comments below!)

So let’s try to pinpoint exactly how this trade went south.  Is it the lack of offensive production?  Well, Kulikov’s whopping two points in 34 games played sure won’t win over any of his critics.  Granted, Pysyk only has 2-9-11 on the season, but those 11 points would tie him with Jake McCabe as the third-highest scoring blueliner on the team.  Kulikov?  Tied with Josh Gorges for last among Buffalo blueliners.  Yeesh.

Is it the injuries?  Obviously, you cannot blame Kulikov for the fact that his body went from 26 to 96 years-old in a span of months, but whether it’s his fault or not, injuries have derailed his 2016-17 campaign.  Meanwhile, Pysyk has skated in each and every one of Florida’s 59 games this season.  Drat.

Is it possible that Kulikov is just a shut-down defenseman, and we’re all expecting too much from him?   Well . . .

And I’m sure part of the reason that Kulikov looks like a washed-up player is due to his lingering back injury, but the bottom line is this: Kulikov is a UFA after the 2016-17 season.  Even if he wanted to re-sign with the Buffalo Sabres, fans would have GMTM’s head if he offered a new contract to a player who had no positive impact on his team’s season.  Injuries or no, the move didn’t pan out – time to get something for him while the team still can.

So what is Kulikov worth?  According to Bove over at WKBW, Kulikov could probably bring Buffalo a third-round pick (or a player of equal value):

"Not to sound like a broken record, but I’d imagine Kulikov could be moved for a third round pick. If a team that misses out on Shattenkirk really wants to make a move then maybe Kulikov could bring in a second, but from the way he’s played this year that may be a little lofty."

TSN has listed the Winnipeg Jets as a possible destination for Kulikov – check out this video where the Jets are mentioned as being on the lookout for a cheap option to improve their blueline – but there are plenty of teams who could use a blueliner with some playoff experience.  The Pittsburgh Penguins , for example, recently lost defenseman Olli Maatta to a broken hand – if the Penguins are unable to or unwilling to go all-in on Kevin Shattenkirk, GMTM might be able to sell them Kulikov.

Next: Sabres Playoff Watch: They All Fall Down

If the Buffalo Sabres truly believe Dmitry Kulikov is part of their long-term plans, then all of this talk is meaningless.  Given the fact that trading for him was a gamble in the first place, it is hard to believe that Tim Murray will look at this season and justify offering Kulikov a new contract this summer.  Better to move him out now than have him walk away for nothing once the season ends.