It took veteran defenseman Brett Kulak some time to digest the way the Colorado Avalanche 's season ended last May. Once he did, he was able to reflect on how good a fit the relationship was for both sides. Ultimately, he concluded that he wanted to stay.
"The way the team plays and the style the coach implements in our game just suits me," Kulak said Monday morning ahead of the Avalanche's Charity Golf Classic in Castle Pines. "It uses my skating a lot, which is my best attribute, so yeah, it made things easy for me to play with them."
Kulak's agent eventually connected with president of hockey operations and general manager Joe Sakic, and it became clear that the feeling was mutual. The Avalanche wanted to bring back the 32-year-old, and Kulak wanted to return.
What made the decision even easier was what Colorado offered.
The five-year, $22.5 million contract extension, which includes a no-trade clause for the first three years, gives Kulak and his family a level of routine they didn't have last season. After spending much of the year adjusting to new teams and cities, Kulak said he and his wife were happy to hear those terms.
"Just to get some stability and to be able to settle in and just eliminate a lot of distractions away from the rink and just be able to focus on hockey, it's going to be nice," Kulak said.
The Edmonton, Alberta, native began the 2025-26 season with the Oilers, where he had played since 2022. He was later traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a deal that brought goalie Tristan Jarry back to Edmonton. Months later, the Penguins acquired Samuel Girard and a second-round pick for the left-shot defenseman.
Kulak, who was a pending UFA at the time, settled into a second-pair role with the Avs alongside Sam Malinski . The third pair consisted of Brent Burns and Josh Manson , both of which will be back again following Burns' contract announcement on the same day as Kulak.
The Avs are bringing back the same six-man defense core, and Kulak will be a big part of it from opening night — something they didn't have from him a season ago.
"You know exactly what to expect. You know your role, so I think that's an advantage," he said.
Kulak admitted that the way the season ended was a shock. Coming off two consecutive years in the Stanley Cup Final with the Oilers, Kulak is no stranger to tough endings. But something about the way the Avalanche fell to the Golden Knights took time to digest.
"Everyone was disappointed, so there's a little bit of time that you need to take and just reassess the season and what went wrong," Kulak said. "We were playing so good, and then, you know, you have six or seven off days of hockey, and it's all over. Things happen quick in playoffs like that, and it's just a reminder of that. You've got to be dialed in and be at your best every day because, especially when you get to the third round, there are only four teams left, and every team is really good. It was tough how quick it ended, and I think it was hard for everyone to take, but everyone's excited to be back and give it another go."
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