BLOG: Kulak coming home

EDMONTON, AB - What a quintessentially Albertan moment.
Gil Kulak was doing some work on his farm near Stony Plain just west of Edmonton on Monday morning when he received a phone call from his youngest son Brett in Montreal.
The 28-year-old defenceman had been traded to the Oilers and was coming home.
"He was in the cab of either a tractor or green truck or something but he was working away and he paused work and said his phone was vibrating with my mom texting him," Kulak said. "We had a good little chat and it was kind of a bit surreal for him I think. With his older age, he's getting a little emotional at times. He was happy and I think he's excited for what's to come."

The former Parkland Athletic Club minor hockey player shared similar sentiments as his dad -- minus the misty eyes -- as he gets ready to join the squad he grew up rooting for.
"I'm really excited," Kulak said. "That's the team I grew up idolizing and talking about and wanting to watch all the time... My parents are looking forward to me coming closer to home and getting to see them a little more. It's been a long time since I've spent much time at home so the whole family is really happy."
Kulak is in his fifth season as a full-time NHL player and recorded 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 56 games with the Canadiens prior to yesterday's trade. He was drafted 105th overall by Calgary in 2012 and spent six seasons in the Flames organization before getting dealt to Montreal just before the 2018-19 campaign. He has 13 goals and 43 assists in 316 career games.

Oilers General Manager and President of Hockey Operations Ken Holland said Monday he was looking to add another left-shot defenceman to the roster and is pleased it ended up being Kulak.
"We saw a lot of him last year being in the Canadian division," Holland said of the Oilers and Canadiens facing off nine times during the shortened 2020-21 campaign. "(He has) mobility, very dependable, can move the puck. I was looking for another defenceman, preferably left defence. There wasn't a lot on the market so we're fortunate and happy to get one."
Kulak is flying to Edmonton today and his first chance to potentially make his Oilers debut will be Thursday when the San Jose Sharks visit Rogers Place.