The Florida Panthers are off to a rugged start as defending Eastern Conference Champions. Through their first six games, they are 3-3-0 with wins against the New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks.
Earlier this offseason, the Panthers brought back a familiar face to the lineup in defenseman Dmitry Kulikov. The thought process was that returning to Sunrise was going to be great for the team as he was going to be a useful stop gap until defensemen Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad return from their injuries suffered in last season’s playoff run. There would have also been a chance he could come back and be a regular in the lineup just like the fond memories of his younger years. But his second tenure as a Cat has been nothing but disastrous for him thus far.
Kulikov is Not Cool
Through five games played this season, Kulikov has the second-highest penalty minutes on the team with eight, one minute fewer than forward Matthew Tkachuk. However, he has taken the most minor penalties this season with four over the last six games. This is definitely not doing the Panthers any favors as they’re ranked dead last in the NHL on the penalty kill with a 65.4 percent kill rate.
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His analytical stats back up the eye test. His expected goals against per 60 minutes is four and a half, the third-highest on the team. In expected shots against per 60, he’s the second worst with a whopping 70.67. In expected high danger shots per 60, it’s the worst on the team with 6.91.
However, there are a couple of positives so far for him early on. He’s tied for the lead with Oliver Ekman-Larsson among Panther defensemen in points with three assists. In addition, he’s second among his team’s defensemen in rating, behind Gustav Forsling, with a plus-3 rating. But his penalty troubles need to be cleaned up as they are proving costly.
Is it Time to Switch Up Personnel?
The Panthers have a coupe of options to give Kulikov some time in the press box and work on his game at practice. Defenseman Mike Reilly had an impressive preseason and has yet to play any minutes this regular season. In the American Hockey League (AHL), they could give Lucas Carlsson another shot as he’s been turning heads his way in Charlotte.
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Additionally, they also have a ton of prospects at their disposal in Matt Kiersted and Michael Benning. The only thing they will be missing is a veteran presence, but it is worth a look at a potential youth movement on the back end.
What is Going to Happen Next ?
It’s still early on in the new campaign for the Cats, meaning there could be some schemes and styles that the team needs to still catch onto. That being said, the struggles from Kulikov are still a concern, especially considering that he was with head coach Paul Maurice for three seasons with the Winnipeg Jets.
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Age could also be a factor. He’s 32 years of age at the moment and turning 33 on Sunday, Oct. 29. As a result, he could be nearing the back end of his career. But regardless, he needs to show why he was brought back into the fray and help the team stay afloat until they get healthy. If he fails to do so, he could be seeing time in the press box or finding himself out of South Florida for the second time in his career.
