When Sabres GM Tim Murray acquired Dmitry Kulikov from the Panthers at the draft last June, he was not shy about sharing his lofty expectations for his newest player.
It hasn’t quite worked out. Kulikov has played in just 31 games this year, missing time with a lower-back injury suffered in the first preseason game that has also caused running pain down his legs for much of the season.
Kulikov has logged just two points and now seems like an afterthought in Buffalo’s future plans rather than a building block.