- Brett Kulak played for Edmonton, Pittsburgh, and Colorado in one season
- He shared rooms with Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, and Nathan MacKinnon along the way
- Read below for what Jared Bednar said about Kulak’s “Velcro” defense for the Avs
Brett Kulak just lived through the rarest season in hockey.
He opened the year in Edmonton skating with Connor McDavid. A December trade dropped him in Pittsburgh next to Sidney Crosby. Then Colorado swung in at the deadline, and now he’s chasing the Stanley Cup with Nathan MacKinnon.
Three teams. Three franchise centers. One season.
Kulak talked Wednesday about how the year played out, per NHL.com:
“Yeah, it’s pretty fortunate that way. Not everyone gets to do that, to play with one of those guys in their career, and for me to do it all in the same season, it’s pretty cool. So yeah, I’ve learned a lot from all these guys and they just kind of make you better the more time you can spend around them.”
He’s the first player in league history to skate at least 25 games for three different teams in a single regular season.
The Avalanche announced his arrival on Feb. 24:
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar explained what convinced Colorado to make the move:
“We really liked what we saw from ‘Kuly’ playing with Edmonton, his skating ability, his shut-down ability, not just in the regular season but being able to help Edmonton get to the Final a couple of years.”
Bednar said the 32-year-old has been better than the front office bargained for:
“He’s exceeded expectations for me. When you watch him up close and personal, this guy’s very hard to beat in all situations. He’s stuck to you like Velcro all the time and gives you no time and space.”
Kulak has slotted in next to Sam Malinski on the second pair. He has three assists in six playoff games and ranks third on the Avs in postseason ice time per game.
Malinski talked about how the pairing works:
“Because he has that defensive mindset, it allows me to jump up all the time and create more offense and have the trust he’s going to have my back. I know where he’s going to be almost all the time and that makes it easy.”
Watch Colorado roll past Minnesota 5-2 in Game 2:
The Avs lead the Wild 2-0 heading into Game 3 on Saturday at Grand Casino Arena. Kulak lost back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals with the Oilers in 2024 and 2025, both to Florida.
Different team. Same chase.
