Brett Kulak

Brett Kulak (born January 6, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the fourth round, 105th overall, by the Calgary Flames in the 2012 NHL entry draft. Kulak has also previously played for the Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Playing career

Junior He was drafted 197th overall in the WHL Bantam Draft by the Vancouver Giants and played four seasons of junior hockey in the Western Hockey League (WHL) between 2010 and 2014. The Calgary Flames selected Kulak with their fourth round pick, 105th overall, at the 2012 NHL entry draft.

Calgary Flames

On March 18, 2014, the Flames signed Kulak to a three-year, entry-level contract. He began the 2014–15 season with the ECHL's Colorado Eagles before earning a promotion to the AHL's Adirondack Flames. Kulak was then recalled to Calgary and made his NHL debut on April 11, 2015, in the Flames' final regular season game, a 5–1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

On October 18, 2016, against the Buffalo Sabres, Kulak recorded his first career point, assisting on Michael Frolík's first period goal. The Flames won the game 4–3. Kulak finished the 2016–17 season with 3 assists in 21 games.

On August 28, 2017, the Flames re-signed Kulak (who was a restricted free agent) to a one-year, two-way contract worth $650,000.

Montreal Canadiens On October 1, 2018, the Flames traded Kulak to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Matt Taormina and Rinat Valiev. Kulak was subsequently assigned to the Canadiens' AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket. On November 22, he was called up by the Canadiens after an injury to defenseman Noah Juulsen. He was immediately put into the line-up. A few games later, star defenseman Shea Weber was activated from injury reserve and the Canadiens sacrificed veteran defenseman Karl Alzner before Kulak by putting him on waivers. On December 29, 2018, Kulak scored his first goal for Montreal in a 5–6 defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning. He scored his first game-winning goal in a 3–0 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on January 12, 2019.

On May 25, 2019, the Canadiens signed Kulak to a three-year, $5.55 million contract extension with an annual average of $1.85 million. Over the following seasons, Kulak typically played on the team's third pairing, notably participating in the Canadiens' deep run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals. In the final season of his contract, Kulak assumed an increasingly important role in the team's defence group, as a result of departures and injuries to other key players. With the Canadiens entering a period of team restructuring under the new management of Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes there was some speculation as to whether the team would seek to re-sign Kulak or explore trading him. On March 19, 2022, he played what would prove to be his final game as a Canadien, scoring a goal in a 5–1 rout of the Ottawa Senators.

Edmonton Oilers In advance of the NHL trade deadline, Kulak was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers on March 21, 2022 in exchange for defenceman William Lagesson, a conditional second-round draft pick (Lane Hutson, 2022) and a seventh-round pick in 2024 & the Canadiens retaining 50% of Kulak's salary for the remainder of the season. Kulak registered 2 goals and 6 assists in 18 regular season games with the Oilers to close out the 2021–22 season, before the team entered the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. Kulak's contributions were well-received on the team, and he played primarily as a pair with defenceman Tyson Barrie, credited with boosting Barrie's effectiveness. Kulak missed the morning practice the day of the pivotal Game 7 in the Oilers' first round matchup with the Los Angeles Kings, as he was attending the birth of his daughter, but was able to participate in the game itself that saw the Oilers advance to the second round against the Calgary Flames. Following the end of the season, Kulak signed a new four-year, $11 million contract with the Oilers.

Pittsburgh Penguins On December 12, 2025, following a middling start to the Oilers' season by the team for the third year in a row, the Oilers traded Kulak, goaltender Stuart Skinner, and a 2029 second-round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for goaltender Tristan Jarry and forward Samuel Poulin.

Colorado Avalanche After only two months with Pittsburgh, Kulak was traded to the Colorado Avalanche on February 24, 2026, in exchange for Sam Girard and a second-round pick in 2028. He became the first player in NHL history to play at least 25 games with three different teams in a single season. During the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, he scored his first playoff game-winning goal during overtime of game 5 of the Avalanche's second-round series against the Minnesota Wild.

Personal life Kulak grew up on a farm near Stony Plain, Alberta, with his parents Gil and Laura and older brothers Tyson and Kyle, playing with the Stony Plain and Spruce Grove Minor Hockey Association.

Kulak and his wife have two children.

Career statistics Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2010–11 Vancouver Giants WHL 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2011–12 Vancouver Giants WHL 72 9 15 24 28 6 0 4 4 2 2012–13 Vancouver Giants WHL 72 12 32 44 34 — — — — — 2012–13 Abbotsford Heat AHL 4 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2013–14 Vancouver Giants WHL 69 14 46 60 51 4 1 2 3 7 2013–14 Abbotsford Heat AHL 6 1 2 3 2 4 0 0 0 2 2014–15 Adirondack Flames AHL 26 4 9 13 27 — — — — — 2014–15 Colorado Eagles ECHL 39 9 21 30 15 — — — — — 2014–15 Calgary Flames NHL 1 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 2015–16 Calgary Flames NHL 8 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2015–16 Stockton Heat AHL 59 3 14 17 36 — — — — — 2016–17 Calgary Flames NHL 21 0 3 3 12 — — — — — 2016–17 Stockton Heat AHL 22 2 8 10 14 5 0 4 4 4 2017–18 Calgary Flames NHL 71 2 6 8 27 — — — — — 2018–19 Laval Rocket AHL 19 3 8 11 4 — — — — — 2018–19 Montreal Canadiens NHL 57 6 11 17 31 — — — — — 2019–20 Montreal Canadiens NHL 56 0 7 7 12 10 0 3 3 0 2020–21 Montreal Canadiens NHL 46 2 6 8 20 13 0 1 1 4 2021–22 Montreal Canadiens NHL 56 3 10 13 33 — — — — — 2021–22 Edmonton Oilers NHL 18 2 6 8 12 16 0 5 5 12 2022–23 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 3 17 20 41 12 1 1 2 9 2023–24 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 3 13 16 30 25 1 7 8 14 2024–25 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 7 18 25 18 22 1 4 5 8 2025–26 Edmonton Oilers NHL 31 0 2 2 10 — — — — — 2025–26 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 25 1 6 7 18 — — — — — 2025–26 Colorado Avalanche NHL 27 0 3 3 10 13 1 4 5 6NHL totals 663 29 108 137 276 111 4 25 29 53

Awards and honours Award Year RefWHL CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game 2012