Oilers blueliner Kulak reportedly expected to hit open market in free agency
Kulak #Kulak
Brett Kulak is going to market.
Kulak, whom the Edmonton Oilers acquired in advance of the trade deadline in March, is expected to gauge his worth as an unrestricted free agent instead of signing an extension with the Edmonton Oilers, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff.
Kulak, from Stony Plain, Alberta, is coming off a three-year contract that paid him $1.85 million annually.
The 28-year-old blueliner had five assists and a plus-7 rating in 16 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for Edmonton, after amassing 21 points (five goals, 16 assists) in 74 regular-season games between the Oilers and Montreal Canadiens.
Edmonton offered up William Lagesson, a conditional second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, and a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft in return for the defenceman four months ago.
The Oilers have plenty of cap room to sign Kulak, however.
Edmonton cleared Zack Kassian’s salary in a draft-day trade with the Arizona Coyotes, and veteran defenceman rearguard Duncan Keith officially announced his retirement on Tuesday.
The Oilers have just under $16 million in cap space heading into the opening of free agency on Wednesday, according to CapFriendly.