Dean Kukan began the season as the seventh or eighth defenseman in camp, depending on how his race to be the next guy with Scott Harrington went.
By the time of his season ending injury, Kukan was an established presence in the lineup and had worked his way up to nearly 16 minutes on ice per night.
Kukan made his season debut in the Jackets’ loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in game two of the season but returned to the lineup with regularity in late October and remained in the lineup following an injury to Markus Nutivaara.