March 21, 2022 by Eric Friesen

Per Frank Seravalli from dailyfaceoff.com, the Edmonton Oilers have traded William Lagesson and their second-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft for defenceman Brett Kulak.

Lagesson played parts of three seasons (2019-2022) with the Oilers, tallying no goals and six assists in 57 games. The Oilers moved their second-round pick in 2023, because General Manager Ken Holland dealt a conditional second-round selection in this summer’s draft to the Chicago Blackhawks if Edmonton reaches the Stanley Cup Final in the Duncan Keith trade on July 12, 2021.

Kulak was selected by the Calgary Flames in the fourth-round (105th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft from the Vancouver Giants of the WHL. He also played parts of six seasons (2013-2017, 2018-19) in the AHL with the Abbotsford/Stockton Heat, Adirondack Flames and Laval Rocket.

The 6-foot-1, 197-pound defenceman has played with the Flames (2015-2018) and Montreal Canadiens (2018-2022), tallying 13 goals and 56 points in 313 career NHL games. He helped the Canadiens reach the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. Kulak had three goals and 13 points in 56 games with the Canadiens this season.

Kulak carries a $1.85 million cap hit and can become a UFA this off-season. The 28-year-old Edmonton, Alberta native has strong defensive awareness, kills penalties and makes a good first-pass.

Given their salary cap limitations, this is a solid move by Holland to bolster the Oilers’ back end for a playoff run. Though rookie defenders like Philip Broberg and Markus Niemelainen have had showed well at times this season, the Oilers needed to bring in a veteran left-shot defender.

Kulak, on the other hand, has played in 23 playoff games over the past two years, including a trip to a Final. That type of experience will be invaluable to the Oilers in the post-season.

I expect Kulak to push Keith for second pairing minutes down the stretch drive, but he’s at least the best option they have on the third pairing. He might not make it to Denver in time for the Oilers game against the Colorado Avalanche tonight, so he will likely make his debut for his hometown team against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.