Player Discussion Brett Kulak: Top pairing candidate #6

[Suzuki x 14]

Like the player, but he should be taking a night off here and there.

why?

 

[yianik]

So the biggest issue stated is " consistency ". Well of course it is. If he was more consistent he would be a no.4 D man.

Same when people talk about wingers and say its a shame this 20 goal guy is not more consistent. Well if he was, he would be a 1st line winger and not a 2nd line winger.

Kulak is a bottom pair guy.

 

[Vachon23]

Couldn’t agree more EP, well said!

Kulak is pretty under appreciated by people right now for whatever reason, but he’s a great bottom pairing guy that is fairly paid.

He’s not under appreciated he’s just ordinary. What is Kulak role in the NHL ? What is his speciality ? He can’t play in PK or in PP. At 5 vs 5, he need to be with someone who will drive the pair to be ok. He’s not physical and he dosen’t have the best positioning either. Yes he’s playing good this season but the reality is that he is sheltered. He plays 13 minutes by games and 70 % of the time he’s start his shift on the offensive zone against 3/4th line of teams that has absolutely no depth. I’m totally fine with him as #6 but let’s not act like if he was irreplaceable any depth guy at 7k like Hutton/Del Zotto IF we need money

 

[ClasslessGuy]

why?

consistency , but thinking of it, when romanov goes up to the second pairing, he will play less minutes and should be better overall game after game.

 

[Suzuki x 14]

consistency , but thinking of it, when romanov goes up to the second pairing, he will play less minutes and should be better overall game after game.

you dont think he has been consistent in the 6 games so far?
he is sitting in the right chair right now on a 3rd pair and i think has done tremendously well, especially playing along side a rookie (albeit a very talented one with a bright futur)

 

[angusyoung]

Nobody would be my guess.

I'm not following as much as so many other astute armchair GM's. So that is why I put the question out there,yet no one can supply any reasonable comparisons?

 

[Vachon23]

I'm not following as much as so many other astute armchair GM's. So that is why I put the question out there,yet no one can supply any reasonable comparisons?

Take any guy who is under 1,5m and play regularly with there team and they will probably make the same job. There is a lot of name

 

[The Great Weal]

Take any guy who is under 1,5m and play regularly with there team and they will probably make the same job. There is a lot of name

Kulak is the ideal #7 dman.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

Like the player, but he should be taking a night off here and there.

If he is playing well and is our 2nd youngest dman in the starting lineup, why would we bench/rest him?

Mete will play when there is an injury but he is clearly our 7th best dman, the only thing he does better than Kulak is skate and Kulak is a very good skater.

 

[montreal]

Kulak is the ideal #7 dman.

not at 1.85M for a team that has no cap space. Juulsen (out of our signed players) would have been better at league min of 700K but it would hurt him since he needs to play. Next year Kulak gets paid 2.2M, good agent, so that will likely hurt our chances of moving him as we will need to free up cap space from somewhere.

If he is playing well and is our 2nd youngest dman in the srarting lineup, why would we bench/rest him?

Mete will play when there is an injury but he is clearly our 7th best dman, the only thing he does better than Kulak is skate and Kulak is a very good skater.

I think Mete might be slightly better offensively and defensively, Kulak had only 7 pts last year.

there career so far,

Mete - 22 years old - 171-4-27-31 +27
Kulak - 27 years old - 220-8-29-37 +7 (+3 before this season)

i think many on the board have given up on Mete but I still think he can easily be a solid bottom pairing.

 

[The Great Weal]

not at 1.85M for a team that has no cap space. Juulsen (out of our signed players) would have been better at league min of 700K but it would hurt him since he needs to play. Next year Kulak gets paid 2.2M, good agent, so that will likely hurt our chances of moving him as we will need to free up cap space from somewhere.

I meant in terms of his play. His contract is too expensive for what he brings. He's fine on the bottom pair for now, but by the deadline, we need to make an upgrade.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

not at 1.85M for a team that has no cap space. Juulsen (out of our signed players) would have been better at league min of 700K but it would hurt him since he needs to play. Next year Kulak gets paid 2.2M, good agent, so that will likely hurt our chances of moving him as we will need to free up cap space from somewhere.



I think Mete might be slightly better offensively and defensively, Kulak had only 7 pts last year.

there career so far,

Mete - 22 years old - 171-4-27-31 +27
Kulak - 27 years old - 220-8-29-37 +7 (+3 before this season)

i think many on the board have given up on Mete but I still think he can easily be a solid bottom pairing.

I respectfully have to disagree here.

Mete is a liability in his own end once possession has been established as he is entirely useless on the boards and in front of the net. There are things I like about him but he is just too weak and his shot is downright embarrassing which renders him relatively impotent in the offensive zone.

He is a luxury to have as a 7th dman but I don't like him as a regular on a contender. Kulak checks too many boxes that Mete may never check.

As you know I think stats are often grossly misleading and this example is one that I would site. The eye test for me said that Mete was easily behind Kulak in the depth chart. Kulak is a late bloomer and is a nearly perfect fit on the bottom pairing, the key for him is consistency which is directly related to his confidence. It does seem like Kulak has taken another step with his confidence starting in the bubble and carrying over to this season. I don't think Mete's upside will ever be as effective as Kulak's current play.

 

[Vachon23]

I respectfully have to disagree here.

Mete is a liability in his own end once possession has been established as he is entirely useless on the boards and in front of the net. There are things I like about him but he is just too weak and his shot is downright embarrassing which renders him relatively impotent in the offensive zone.

He is a luxury to have as a 7th dman but I don't like him as a regular on a contender. Kulak checks too many boxes that Mete may never check.

As you know I think stats are often grossly misleading and this example is one that I would site. The eye test for me said that Mete was easily behind Kulak in the depth chart. Kulak is a late bloomer and is a nearly perfect fit on the bottom pairing, the key for him is consistency which is directly related to his confidence. It does seem like Kulak has taken another step with his confidence starting in the bubble and carrying over to this season. I don't think Mete's upside will ever be as effective as Kulak's current play.

Just by curiosity, which box Does Kulak check ?

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

Just by curiosity, which box Does Kulak check ?

It would be a much shorter list if it contained the areas in which he doesn't check a box. When he is on his game there aren't many boxes that he doesn't check. He has the physical tools to be a 2nd pairing dman but I am not certain that I see him maintaining enough consistency to be a long term 2nd pairing solution.

Mete on the other hand has glaring holes even when he is at his best as he ineffective on both special team units and gives up the blueline far too easily as well as being a non factor in his own end once possession is established and a non shooting threat in the Ozone making him predictable and ineffective.

Julien/MB's decision to play Kulak over Mete should have been obvious to most. As long as Kulak doesn't lose the confidence that he has built, Mete's only avenue to playing time is via injuries.

Mete is versatile and is an elite skater with decent hockey IQ and heknows the system well. This makes him an ideal 7th dman in Montreal. If he wants to be more than that it will almost certainly be elsewhere on a weaker group as he has a stable of superior prospects knocking on the door behind him.

I don't hate him as a player at all, I just think that our depth has pushed him to the fringe. I suspect he would look good playing with Romanov.......just not as good as Kulak.

 

[Runner77]

Bergevin done good job rebuilding Habs. I think some average fans get a bit impatient and ripped him. But hardcore fans could tell the difference

What does this distinction even mean? We're "hardcore fans" only if we appreciate that Bergevin has done a good job rebuilding?

You mean, we need to contract amnesia about what he did in prior seasons? Is that what would make us "hardcore"?

We're all fans in here and I suspect most of us follow the team closely and appreciate that the early returns on Bergevin's moves from this past off season, are positive so far. I was always one to suggest that he provide a better asset mix and it looks like it's working. Just hoping it continues and don't want to read into it any more than I have to. I would just humbly suggest to simply enjoy this and not resort to unnecessarily divisive labels.

 

[Archijerej]

While I agree in principle that Kulaks' cap hit is too much for a #6D, there is no way of knowing if his role is going to remain the same next season. If one of Chiarot/Edmundson is gone both Romanov and Kulak will see their responsibilities increased.

 

[Vachon23]

It would be a much shorter list if it contained the areas in which he doesn't check a box. When he is on his game there aren't many boxes that he doesn't check. He has the physical tools to be a 2nd pairing dman but I am not certain that I see him maintaining enough consistency to be a long term 2nd pairing solution.

Mete on the other hand has glaring holes even when he is at his best as he ineffective on both special team units and gives up the blueline far too easily as well as being a non factor in his own end once possession is established and a non shooting threat in the Ozone making him predictable and ineffective.

Julien/MB's decision to play Kulak over Mete should have been obvious to most. As long as Kulak doesn't lose the confidence that he has built, Mete's only avenue to playing time is via injuries.

Mete is versatile and is an elite skater with decent hockey IQ and heknows the system well. This makes him an ideal 7th dman in Montreal. If he wants to be more than that it will almost certainly be elsewhere on a weaker group as he has a stable of superior prospects knocking on the door behind him.

I don't hate him as a player at all, I just think that our depth has pushed him to the fringe. I suspect he would look good playing with Romanov.......just not as good as Kulak.

Oooh I think Kulak is better then Mete It’s just that Kulak dosen’t check a lot of box either

 

[Habs Halifax]

Kulak is the ideal #7 dman.

No, that's Mete. Kulak is a NHL D man. Big boy, skates well, plays physical. He's starting to figure out the consistency part and it shows. He's way better than just some 7th guy. Not many teams have depth like that.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Oooh I think Kulak is better then Mete It’s just that Kulak dosen’t check a lot of box either

A NHL D has to play D first and not be a liability physically in their own end. Kulak checks that box off, Mete does not. Look at what the Habs did to Hughes over 3 games. Play with the puck and play without the puck!

Kulak is not just some 7th guy. That's ridiculous based on the flashes of top 4D and solid bottom pairing he has showing us right now.

 

[Vachon23]

No, that's Mete. Kulak is a NHL D man. Big boy, skates well, plays physical. He's starting to figure out the consistency part and it shows. He's way better than just some 7th guy. Not many teams have depth like that.

A NHL D has to play D first and not be a liability physically in their own end. Kulak checks that box off, Mete does not. Look at what the Habs did to Hughes over 3 games. Play with the puck and play without the puck!

Kulak is not just some 7th guy. That's ridiculous based on the flashes of top 4D and solid bottom pairing he has showing us right now.

Kulak is all but physical. He loose a lot of is puck battle along the board and in front of the net. He dosen’t hit either. Even Ouellet was more physical then him (and that’s probably why it’s him they used in PK in playoff). I agree for his skating though. And flash on the top 4 a lot of player can have good flash for a short period of time especially if your pair him with a guy like Petry.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Kulak is all but physical. He loose a lot of is puck battle along the board and in front of the net. He dosen’t hit either. Even Ouellet was more physical then him (and that’s probably why it’s him they used in PK in playoff). I agree for his skating though. And flash on the top 4 a lot of player can have good flash for a short period of time especially if your pair him with a guy like Petry.

We don't agree. Kulak is not just some 7th guy. That's massive deflation on his ability. I think you are overlooking how NHL teams loves those big guys that skate well. You are applying top 4D nit pick on Kulak and then moving him to 7th. He's a great 5th or 6th guy that can play top 4D if you have injuries. Lets not pretend that 31 teams have no guy like Kulak in their top 4D at times.

Kulak is probably going to be like a Edmundson or Chiarot... that's his track if he continues to be reliable with his assignments. He has not even played a full season yet. You just wait till he get more and more comfortable.

 

[Vachon23]

We don't agree. Kulak is not just some 7th guy. That's massive deflation on his ability. I think you are overlooking how NHL teams loves those big guys that skate well.

Kulak is probably going to be like a Edmundson or Chiarot... that's his track if he continues to be reliable with his assignments. He has not even played a full season yet. You just wait till he get more and more comfortable.

He’s ok as #6, I don’t have any problem with that except his cap hit but he’s not Edmundson/Chiarot. They are physical and they play on PK. They have a role on a team and that’s not the case with Kulak and that’s what I like the less with him.

 

[Habs Halifax]

He’s ok as #6, I don’t have any problem with that except his cap hit but he’s not Edmundson/Chiarot. They are physical and they play on PK. They have a role on a team and that’s not the case with Kulak and that’s what I like the less with him.

Wait a little longer with Kulak. We didn't see a full season last year cause he was not consistent and he's off to a good start in a more stable role this season. There is a shit load of guys that figure things out in the age 25-30 range.

We need our D to stay big and mobile and Kulak is part of that. Mete is useless if he is not putting up 30+ pts and moving the puck for us. And Mete/Romanov is not a good fit IMO.

 

[Vachon23]

Wait a little longer with Kulak. We didn't see a full season last year cause he was not consistent and he's off to a good start in a more stable role this season. There is a shit load of guys that figure things out in the age 25-30 range.

We need our D to stay big and mobile and Kulak is part of that. Mete is useless if he is not putting up 30+ pts and moving the puck for us. And Mete/Romanov is not a good fit IMO.

A more stable role ? He’s playing 13 minutes by game and he start 70 % of those minutes in the offensive zone. I agree that it’s the best role for him but the reality it’s that we can put a lot of player in that role and they will look good.

 

[Habs Halifax]

A more stable role ? He’s playing 13 minutes by game and he start 70 % of those minutes in the offensive zone. I agree that it’s the best role for him but the reality it’s that we can put a lot of player in that role and they will look good.

He's playing in a more stable role this year! I would shy away from trying to be an expert on him or predicting the future when he has not played a full season in a stable role yet. You might be surprised