Anaheim Ducks' Best Trade Of The Past Year

The Anaheim Ducks' best trade of the past year is actually a sequence of two trades involving one player. Before the season, the Ducks brought in Dmitry Kulikov for future considerations. This not only helped them out for most of the season to fill a banged up defensive unit, but they were able to get even more value at the trade deadline because of the initial move to bring in a flippable asset.

Kulikov may not contribute a ton offensively, but he is strong in the defensive zone and reliable. He logged over 20 minutes a game for the Ducks this season and the Pittsburgh Penguins took him at the trade deadline for the return the Ducks were hoping for.

The Ducks arguably got a better return from Kulikov than they did for John Klingberg who was thought to be their best moveable asset this season. Kulikov got Anaheim a third round pick in 2024 and Brock McGinn. He is a solid third line player that is playing even higher in the lineup now for the Ducks. But they took advantage of their cap space to take on a contract and retain some of Kulikov's to get a higher pick.

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