Panthers reuniting with former first-round defenseman

The Florida Panthers have brought back defenseman Dmitry Kulikov to a one-year deal worth $1 million.

Florida originally drafted Kulikov with the 14th overall pick in 2009. The 32-year-old played his first seven years with the Panthers, recording a career-high 28 points with the club in 2011-12.

He joined the Buffalo Sabres for 2016-17 before signing with the Winnipeg Jets the following year. He played in Manitoba for three seasons. After that, he started to bounce around, playing for the New Jersey Devils, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, Anaheim Ducks and, most recently, the Pittsburgh Penguins, since 2021.

The Panthers have been busy signing defensemen, adding Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Mike Reilly, Niko Mikkola and Lucas Carlsson. Florida is set to start the season without Aaron Ekblad, a right-handed defender. Kulikov has experience on both sides, and his physical, defensive style will work well at a cheap price in Ekblad’s absence.

The Panthers have $4.327 million in cap space with 12 forwards, nine defensemen and two goaltenders.