After already having a very busy off-season with the recent signings of forward Brandon Pirri, defenseman Dylan Olsen, defenseman Erik Gudbranson, and others, the Florida Panthers have made another move by re-signing restricted costless agent defenseman Dmitry Kulikov to a three-year/$ 13 Million on Friday. 

The 23 year-old has been said by general manager Dale Tallon to be a very important part of the Panthers future as they continue the rebuilding process. "He's got so much ability. It's time for him now to make a statement and be a leader on our team. He's got all the ability in the world. It's now just a matter of channeling it in the right direction. We're happy to have him in the fold. He's a great kid. He's still a young guy with tremendous ability. Hard to find those guys." Tallon said.

Kulikov was drafted 14th overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He has spent the last five years in Florida with 24 goals and 75 assists in 313 career games. Kulikov tallied the second-most minutes for the Cats last season and was frequently on both sides of their special team units. He has shown flashes over his young career of greatness when at other times, shows the complete opposite while losing the puck or taking uncessary penalties.

Many scouts in the Panthers organization as well as fans see him as a huge asset to build the team into a contender for years to come. Others are severely starting to lose patience in Kulikov's careless mistakes. His skillset can be tremendous if his confidence stays high. That is a major factor that he has to learn from over the three years if he is indeed going to be a huge part of the Panthers hopeful future success.

With defensive partners Erik Gudbranson and Dylan Olsen recently re-signed as well as costless agent Willie Mitchell acquired on July 1st, Florida's blueline seems to be set. "We like our team. We like what happened July 1. We pretty well hit everything that we wanted to hit on, addressed a lot of needs, brought in a lot of character. We brought in champions and good solid pros who are going to show our young guys the way. So overall, it's been a great month for us. Our future looks very bright. So does the present." Tallon said.

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About the author
Adam Morse
Raised in South Florida, I have been a diehard Florida Panthers fan since their magical run to the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals and have never looked back. I am also a Miami Dolphins, Miami Marlins, and UCF Knights Football fan.