STANLEY TUSSLE: Guess who just landed in for Florida Panthers ahead of…

STANLEY TUSSLE: Guess who just landed in for Florida Panthers ahead of…

FORT LAUDERDALE — When the Florida Panthers traded Dmitry Kulikov to Buffalo in 2016, the defenseman said he was “excited to change the scenery a little bit … after being here so many years.’’

As time went on, Kulikov wanted to come back to the team which drafted him in the first round back in 2009, but nothing ever worked out.

Last summer, general manager Bill Zito called with an offer.

Panthers sign former top pick Dmitry Kulikov, who 'wanted to come back and  be part of this' - The Hockey News Florida Panthers News, Analysis and More

Kulikov was finally coming back.

And now, for the first time in his career, he is getting the opportunity to play for the Stanley Cup.

If you would have told him 10 years ago his first shot at the Cup would be with the Panthers, he would not have believed you.

He believes it now.

“This has been great,’’ Kulikov said. “The whole playoff experience, the whole season with this team has been fantastic. It has been great to be around this group every day. We encourage each other and that has been great. Going through all the rounds, we certainly learned some things like how to approach a game after a loss, how to treat it after a win. It has been good.’’

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