3 Teams Penguins' Kulak Could Be Flipped To

Brett Kulak's stay with the Pittsburgh Penguins may not be long as the team could flip him sooner rather than later. In order for the Edmonton Oilers to acquire Tristan Jarry from the Penguins, money had to go back, and Stuart Skinner wasn't enough. Kulak was also included with his $2.75 million AAV cap hit.

According to Elliotte Friedman, "Before he was included in the Pittsburgh deal, I think there were some teams in on Brett Kulak. That one isn't over...they did that (flipped an acquisition) last year with Luke Schenn."

Teams can afford Kulak's cap hit, but if they can't, the Penguins have three retention spots, and as I mentioned, Kulak is a free agent after the season. Three teams that could still be interested in acquiring Kulak from Pittsburgh instead of the Oilers are as follows.

Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings are first in the Atlantic Division and playing well, but they are going to need an upgrade on defense. Fortunately for them, Axel Sandin Pellikka has come in and taken on a top-4 spot as a 20-year-old, but the third pairing, where Kulak thrives, is open for upgrades. Albert Johansson has three assists, plays under 16 minutes per game, and has the sixth most shorthanded ice time per game among the seven Red Wings defensemen, hardly has an impact on the game. Jacob Bernard-Docker plays two minutes less and has one assist in 20 games. This is while Travis Hamonic sits right in the middle in ice time and has one assist in 18 games. The team has cap space to fit Kulak in easily and solidify their third pairing.

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins have dealt with some injuries on the back-end and that could pose a threat if something happens to Charlie McAvoy or Hampus Lindholm again this season. Not only would bringing in Kulak be solid insurance since he can move up to the second pairing when needed, it would deepen their defensive group and give the team an elite group overall. It would just kick Victor Soderstrom or Vladislav Kolyachonok off the roster, but the latter was claimed off of waivers recently anyways. The Bruins are in the battle for the top of the Atlantic Division as well, so they have reason to add and get better.

Utah Mammoth

The Utah Mammoth are desperately trying to stay in the hunt for the playoffs after a rough stretch of games where they were losing a lot. The team could really use some upgrades and they have the room and cap space to do so. Since Kulak is a defenseman, that's where we're looking on the roster to upgrade. Nick DeSimone or Olli Maatta can be dropped down. They've split time and neither has impressed. Kulak could join Ian Cole as a veteran third pairing and the team would have another option if Sean Durzi or someone else were to get injured.