SALT LAKE CITY — There aren’t many potential trade additions who could be better equipped to play with the world-class talent on the Colorado Avalanche than Brett Kulak.
Just this season alone, Kulak has taken shifts with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard in Edmonton and Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang in Pittsburgh.
“I’m pretty fortunate,” Kulak said Wednesday morning, after being traded to Colorado for Samuel Girard and a 2028 second-round pick. “Each team carries a handful of guys that have around the league long time, lots of experience. So for me, you just come in, and I want to try to just absorb as much experience and wisdom and see how these guys go about their business and apply it to my career.”
Kulak had his first chance Wednesday morning to skate with the Avs at Delta Center ahead of the club’s first game back from the Olympic break against the Mammoth. He was expecting to spend an off day Tuesday in Pittsburgh with his family, resting and preparing for a stretch run with the surprising Penguins, who are in second place in the Metro Division.
Instead, he is playing for his third team this season — and moving his family across the continent for the second time in 10 weeks.
“To be honest, I was pretty surprised we got moved again, just the way the team is rolling,” Kulak said. “I thought at least I would probably at least finish out the year there. That is where my mind was at. But, this game and this league — it’ll surprise you when you least expect it and that was the case again.”
“We did it a couple months ago, from Edmonton to Pittsburgh. It’s a lot of phone calls, lots of logistics things, trying to organize. My wife and kids are kind of left to pick up the pieces. I move here and just bring my hockey bag and away I go. But there’s still lots to change. A lot happened yesterday, and it’ll be a busy few days for sure.”
Kulak played almost exclusively with Letang since being traded to Pittsburgh on Dec. 12. He also played a lot with Bouchard during the past two postseasons, which both resulted in Edmonton reaching the Stanley Cup Final.
He is a defense-first defenseman, but that experience playing with two of the best offensive-minded guys at the position could come in handy with the Avalanche. Coach Jared Bednar has already mentioned the idea of playing Kulak with Cale Makar in certain matchups during two media interviews within 24 hours of the trade.
“If you go back to playoffs two years ago and he had a great playoffs last year,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “They’re in the Stanley Cup Final twice. He’s playing with all kinds of different guys. I think he has the ability to defend top guys in the league, and not only in the regular season, but in the playoffs and do a nice job.
“I just think it provides us some matchup strengths that maybe we didn’t have with Girard. They’re completely different players, but the size, length, reach, he’s a really good defender off the rush and in zone. He protects the net in front really well. Those are things we could get better at, and I think he’s a guy that can help us do that.”
Kulak has also spent a lot of time during his career in a depth role, but during the 2025 playoffs the Oilers had to ask more of him. He averaged more than 23 minutes per game during Edmonton’s run to the Cup Final, second on the team to Bouchard.
He has never averaged more than 20:32 per contest during the regular season, but an injury for Mattias Ekholm thrust him into a bigger spotlight.
“It was awesome for me,” Kulak said. “The playoffs is always the best time of the year. The hockey is intense. Every night is a battle, and to just take on that role that I was given last year in the playoffs, it was special times. You’re having the most fun playing hockey when you’re involved to that level of the games, and the team’s winning and and you’re chasing after the Stanley Cup. Exciting times, and I’m looking to kind of get back to that.”
Kulak debuted with the Avs Wednesday night playing with Sam Malinski, another player with a similar playing style to Letang. His early review of how Colorado wants to play was a positive one.
There wasn’t much time for him to get up to speed, but the Avs have five contests in the next seven days so game reps will come fast and furious for him.
“I don’t want him thinking too much, but there’s a lot of similarities between the last two clubs that he’s played with and ours,” Bednar said. “So that’ll be a work in progress over the next few days. We gave him the basics this morning. He was able to see the pre-scout meeting this morning and … that was a little bit more in depth, because I wanted him to see some stuff. (Nolan Pratt) sat down with him. We’ll go over penalty kill with him a little bit, and then turn him loose and let him go play.”
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