Kulikov traded to Oilers by Devils for draft pick

Dmitry Kulikov was traded to the Edmonton Oilers by the New Jersey Devils on Monday for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

The 30-year-old defenseman has two assists in 38 games this season and can become an unrestricted free agent after the season.

Selected by the Florida Panthers in the first round (No. 14) of the 2009 NHL Draft, Kulikov has scored 172 points (35 goals, 137 assists) in 715 regular-season games with the Devils, Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres and Panthers. He has scored seven points (one goal, six assists) in 24 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

"He's a left-shot defenseman that's played over 700 NHL games," Oilers general manager Ken Holland said. "He's 30 years old and he's an experienced guy. … He can skate, he can make a good first pass and he's defensive-minded. He's got some edge to his game and he can kill penalties."

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The Oilers (25-15-2) are third in the seven-team Scotia North Division, seven points behind the first-place Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Devils (14-20-6) are seventh in the eight-team MassMutual East Division, 14 points behind the fourth-place Boston Bruins.

The top four teams in each division will qualify for the playoffs.

"I think about the playoffs, you have to be able to defend," Holland said. "You have to be good on special teams, you have to find ways to win games 2-1, 3-2, and we think we he's going to make us better defensively, give us more depth and provide an edge and get the puck moving forward."

NHL.com independent correspondent Derek Van Diest contributed to this report