Minnesota Wild Add Veteran Defenseman

The Minnesota Wild have signed defenseman Dmitri Kulikov to a two-year, $4.5 million contract. It will carry a $2.25 million cap hit for each season.

#mnwild sign veteran defenseman Dmitry Kulikov to a two-year, $4.5 million contract ($2.25M AAV)
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) July 29, 2021

This is a nice signing for the Wild, as Kulikov is a dependable bottom-pair defenseman. Although he is not necessarily known for his offensive ability, he works well as a shutdown defenseman. In 48 games this season between the New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers, the 30-year-old had four assists.

He seems to be the replacement for Ian Cole, which certainly makes sense. Like Cole, Kulikov plays the physical game well and uses that to his advantage.

Overall, this is a low-risk signing that should ultimately benefit the Wild at the end of the day.