The Ducks added more draft capital on Friday by trading defenseman Dmitry Kulikov to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a third-round pick in 2024 and left wing Brock McGinn.
The Ducks were able to slightly improve the return for Kulikov by taking on a contract that Pittsburgh was trying to shed in McGinn, and they retained some of Kulikov’s contract.
Essentially, they probably would not have received a third-rounder for Kulikov if they hadn’t taken on a player contract that the Penguins wanted to shed.
McGinn, 29, had been put on waivers Tuesday, clearing a day later, and the Penguins had been trying to find a spot for him so they could upgrade in the present.
Kulikov’s stay with the Ducks was not a long one. They acquired him in August from the Minnesota Wild for future considerations and he had 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) and was a minus-11 in 61 games with the Ducks this season. He is due to be an unrestricted free agent and the Ducks sat him, along with defenseman John Klingberg, for Wednesday’s game against Washington for trade-related reasons.
The Ducks now have 12 picks in the first three rounds of the next two drafts – two first-round selections, five second-rounders and five more in the third round.
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