The Anaheim Ducks will not dress defencemen John Klingberg and Dmitry Kulikov on Wednesday against the Washington Capitals because of trade-related reasons.
The NHL’s trade deadline is Friday — and contenders will be looking at the two Ducks blue-liners.
Klingberg, 30, has eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points in 50 games this season. A fifth-round draft pick, 131st overall, by the Stars in 2010, Klingberg has 79 goals and 319 assists for 398 points in 602 career games with Dallas and Anaheim.
After leaving Dallas as a free agent, Klingberg signed a one-year pact over the summer with rebuilding Anaheim to re-establish his value, but it’s been a bit of a struggle. Despite getting heavy shift starts in the offensive zone, Klingberg has one of the worst expected-goals-percentage rates on the Ducks. A pure offensive player, Klingberg will, nonetheless, help on the power play.
Kulikov has three goals and 12 assists for 15 points in 61 games this season. Over his career, Kulikov had 45 goals and 168 assists for 213 points in 866 games with the Panthers, Sabres, Jets, Oilers, Devils, Wild and Ducks.
Kulikov provides a solid defensive presence on the blue line. Kulikov is Anaheim’s leader in blocked shots and shorthanded ice time per game, and he isn’t shy about getting physical.
Kulikov is a 14-year veteran who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. His 2022-23 salary cap hit is $2.25 million. The Russian has an eight-team no-trade list as part of his contract.
