Oilers Conundrum: Should Edmonton say good-bye to swift and solid veteran d-man?

Edmonton Oilers’ Brett Kulak (27) battles the Colorado Avalanche’s Artturi Lehkonen (62) during Game 3 of the Western Conference Final at Rogers Place, in Edmonton Saturday June 4, 2022. Photo by David Bloom /Postmedia

Brett Kulak is a swift and solid veteran NHL d-man. Should the Edmonton Oilers move on from him?

The Kulak Conundrum is one of many that Oilers GM Ken Holland faces this summer.

Let’s break down this particular one into the pros and cons of retaining Kulak:

Pro: Kulak is 28, a veteran of six NHL seasons and two long recent runs in the playoffs, with 334 regular season and 39 playoff games to his credit. He’s in that sweet spot of an NHL d-man’s career, with the necessary experience to now make sound decisions in most situations on the ice, yet the youthfulness to skate fast enough and execute aggressively enough to play peak hockey for the next few seasons. He’s the prime of his NHL career.

Con: He’s an Unrestricted Free Agent, who can wait until the July free agency period and enter into a bidding war with every NHL team having a chance to sign him, a dynamic that often leads to players getting far too much money and/or far too much term compared to their current and future value.

Pro: Kulak played strong two-way hockey in the playoffs. He and partner Tyson Barrie crushed it in their third-pairing role, with Kulak also stepping up and doing well as a one-game fill-in for the suspended Darnell Nurse in a crucial Game Six win over the Los Angeles Kings. Kulak showed himself to be poised with the puck, reasonably able in terms of defensive fundamentals and execution, with his superlative skating often getting him out of any trouble.

Con: Kulak and Barrie played well, but they mainly faced weaker competition, with Darnell Nurse and Cody Ceci doing the heavy lifting. Whatever results Kulak achieved has to be seen in that light. It’s not like he excelled against the toughest competition.

Pro: Just as Kris Russell is heading to the end of his effectiveness, Kulak could well be ready to fill the role that Russell had the last few years, a bottom-pairing d-man who can step up and fill in well in the Top 4 if there an injury. That player might be worth paying a bit more to have on your roster.

Con: Kulak projects as a top drawer third-pairing d-man, but on a team pressed up against the cap paying $2 million per year or more to a third-pairing d-man is a luxury the Oilers might not be able to afford. I’ve heard $2 million per year on a four-year deal mentioned for Kulak, and while that sounds reasonable for a player of his calibre, it’s a big ticket on an Oilers team with greatly limited cap space.

Pro: Kulak is a known quantity. We’ve seen he can get it done in the playoffs. In fact, he greatly raised his level of play from his stint here in the regular season to the playoffs. He showed he can execute under pressure in a big game.

Con: Kulak is a left shot d-man, this on a team that already has left shot Darnell Nurse locked up long-term, left shot Duncan Keith on the roster next season at least, and a young and promising left shot Philip Broberg ready for NHL duty next year. If Kulak is signed, would Broberg be then asked to move over to the right side in his rookie year? Is that a good plan? If Kulak is signed, does that mean the Oilers must move out Barrie in order to create a roster space for Broberg to grab? Is it wise to move out Barrie, who was the Oil’s second best d-man, after Cody Ceci, in the playoffs? Of course, if Keith were retire, it would suddenly make far more sense to bring back Kulak, but I’m betting that Keith will return. This leaves that log jam on defence in place and would almost certainly precipitate a trade.

Where does that leave the Oilers? Kulak is an enticing player to bring back. If the cap hit is right, I’m all for the move, as I suspect Broberg can play the right side and I also suspect Tyson Barrie has much more value to another team than he does to the Oilers, so he’ll be moved out, opening up spots for both Kulak and Broberg.