The Minnesota Wild created some cap space on Wednesday night, sending defenseman Dmitry Kulikov to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for future considerations.
Kulikov signed with the Wild prior to last season and tallied 24 points (7 G, 17 A) and a plus-23 rating in 80 games. Despite the solid stats, he struggled in the Wild’s first-round playoff series against the St. Louis Blues and is now on his way to his seventh team in his 14-year career.
The move creates $2.25 million in cap space for the Wild, who needed some breathing room after signing center Sam Steel to a one-year deal on Tuesday. According to Cap Friendly, the Wild have just over $5.7 million in cap space after the trade, but the biggest winner in the deal may be Caleb Addison.
The centerpiece of the Feb. 2020 trade that sent Jason Zucker to Pittsburgh has yet to establish himself at the NHL level, but recorded 34 points (7 G, 27 A) and a minus-6 rating in 43 games for Iowa last season.
With Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin and Matt Dumba leading the way and Jacob Middleton will return after signing a three-year contract in July, Addison will have to beat out Alex Goligoski and Jon Merrill for a roster spot heading into next season.
