The Oilers have acquired Dmitry Kulikov.

The Edmonton Oilers appear to have bolstered their defense.

According to a breaking news report from Corey Masisak of The Athletic, the Edmonton Oilers have acquired veteran defenseman Dmitry Kulikov from the New Jersey Devils. The Devils will reportedly receive a conditional draft pick at the 2022 National Hockey League entry draft, but the details surrounding that pick are not entirely clear at this time.

Kulikov is coming off a 38 game performance for the Devils over the course of this current season, he had no goals and 2 assists for a total of 2 points over that stretch of play. He has 26 penalty minutes to his name on the season and currently boasts a plus minus rating of -4. It remains to be seen how much the 30 year old blue liner will factor into the Oilers plans moving forward.

The move is certainly not a blockbuster but it does line up with what we have been hearing in the rumor mill when it comes to general manager Ken Holland of the Oilers. There is a sense that Holland is not interested in trading away prime assets for any kind of rental player ahead of the deadline, feeling that his team has too many holes to fill in their lineup before they can be truly consider a Stanley Cup contender.

Update: The pick is a conditional fourth rounder.

Stay tuned for the full details.