Sabres land defenceman Dmitry Kulikov in deal with Panthers

Leafs Dion Phaneuf hits Quinton Howden hard near the bench and Dimitry Kulikov comes in to fight Phaneuf.

The Buffalo Sabres made a quick strike to begin Round 2 of the 2016 NHL Draft, acquiring defenceman Dmitry Kulikov and a second-round pick from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Mark Pysyk, and two draft picks, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Kulikov, 25, has one year remaining on his contract and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2016-17 season. His contract carries a salary cap hit of $4.33 million.

The Russian defenceman recorded one goal and 16 assists while averaging just over 21 minutes of ice time per game last season.

Pysyk, 24, scored one goal with 10 assists in 55 games for Buffalo last season. He is scheduled to become a restricted free agent after the 2016-17 season and his contract carries a cap hit of $1.125 million this year.

The Panthers acquired defenceman Keith Yandle from the New York Rangers earlier this month and handed him a seven-year contract extension worth $44.45 million.

More to come…

June 25, 2016 - 10:07 am ET
buf Buffalo Sabres
Acquire
  • Dmitry Kulikov
  • 2nd-round pick (2016)
fla Florida Panthers
Acquire
  • Mark Pysyk
  • 2nd-round pick (2016)
  • 3rd-round pick (2016)
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