NHL Trade Rumors: 5 most likely buyout candidates in 2019

Dmitry Kulikov

The Winnipeg Jets are going to make some fairly significant changes this summer. They’ll need to re-sign a number of players, including Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor. The Jets will likely try to trade Kulikov, much like they did with Steve Mason last summer.

However, it’s going to be much harder to trade Kulikov than Mason. Like Mason at the time, Kulikov has one year left on his deal. But the Jets only have four draft picks in the 2019 NHL Draft, and three of them are after the third round.

For context, Winnipeg had to toss in a 2019 seventh-round pick, a 2020 fourth-round pick, and Joel Armia to clear Mason’s deal last summer. Of course, the Jets were motivated to get rid of him, as they were trying to re-sign Paul Stastny at the time. They don’t have quite that level of motivation to trade Kulikov, but it makes sense regardless.

Annual Cost

• 2019-20: $1,444,444
• 2020-21: $1,444,444

Annual Cap Hit

• 2019-20: $1,444,444
• 2020-21: $1,444,444

Likelihood

I think the New Jersey Devils and Ottawa Senators would be open to taking on his contract. The big question is, do the Jets have the ammunition to make it worth their while? It’s worth noting Kulikov has a six-team no-trade list.

Potential Suitors

Teams seeking defense like the Devils could be interested in him as a cheap option. Kulikov should be able to find another job in the NHL as a third-pairing defenseman.