Dmitry Kulikov made his season debut with the Panthers on Monday. He logged 17:32 of ice time and finished with a minus-2 rating in Florida's 4-0 loss to Ottawa. Kulikov also posted two shots and a minor penalty for hooking. Coach Kevin Dineen may keep an eye on Kulikov's ice time during Tuesday's game in Montreal considering he just got back from Russia.

Dmitry Kulikov took part in Monday's practice. Kulikov missed Saturday's game due to jet lag, but will probably play on Monday. He was a big part of the Panthers last season, but Panthers coach Kevin Dineen seemed frustrated by Kulikov's decision to stay in Russia until he had a contract, rather than return to North America immediately after the work stoppage so that he'd be fresh for the season opener. That probably won't be a factor for long, but it will be interesting to see how much playing time Kulikov gets in his season debut.

Dmitry Kulikov will probably play on Monday after missing Saturday's game due to jet lag. Kulikov was a restricted free agent when the lockout ended and decided to initially remain in Russia as a result. He only arrived in Florida on Friday. Panthers coach Kevin Dineen seemed has seemed frustrated that Kulikov didn't travel to Florida immediately following the work stoppage and expressed that again when he spoke about Kulikov's availability for Monday's game. "I sure hope so," Dineen said. "He had seven months to prepare for his first game [since last season ended], so I sure hope he's finally ready to go. His fitness level - he came in and tested well. He's been playing since the beginning of the year. He had a little setback with a knee injury in Russia. But he's come back and played from there."

Dmitry Kulikov is eligible to play after re-signing with the Florida Panthers, but won't on Saturday. Kulikov was in Russia before he re-signed, so he's dealing with jet lag. Panthers coach Kevin Dineen seemed less than pleased with the situation. "You have to look at a guy, whether he helps you," Dineen said. "Frankly it's disappointing he's not ready to play. There are different ways around it, but he's not playing tonight. He's a guy who's had some time and should be ready to go. He signed a contract yesterday, fortunately passed his physical. He'll play Monday."

Dmitry Kulikov's two-year deal with the Florida Panthers is will come with a $2.5 million annual cap hit. The first season of Kulikov's contract will be a prorated $2 million and he'll earn $3 million in 2013-14. Kulikov was a restricted free agent going into training camp.

Dmitry Kulikov's new deal with the Panthers hasn't been finalized yet, but it is close to completion. "There are a lot of hoops to jump through," said assistant GM Mike Santos. Kulikov is expected to take his physical Friday, which could lead to his deal becoming official and his presence in the lineup for Saturday's opener against Carolina.

Dmitry Kulikov has inked a two-year deal with the Florida Panthers. Kulikov was a restricted free agent. He has missed pretty much the entirety of the short training camp due to the contract negotiations, but fortunately he played in Europe during the lockout. He had six points and 28 penalty minutes in 22 KHL games.

Florida assistant GM Mike Santos said Wednesday he spoke to Dmitry Kulikov's agent on two occasions, but he didn't have any progress to report. The Panthers still have to sign the restricted free agent defenseman or else his absence will leave a gaping hole on their back end to start the season. Kulikov isn't listed on the roster of KHL team in Russia anymore.

Negotiations with Dmitry Kulikov have reportedly not been progressing, but the Panthers still hope to get him signed. Assistant GM Mike Santos said he hasn't spoken to Kulikov's agent in the "last 48 hours" and he doesn't consider the two sides to be close to reaching an agreement. "We'll keep working at it and would like to get him signed," Santos added.

Dmitry Kulikov is still in Russia while he waits for a new deal from the Florida Panthers. Dale Tallon said Thursday that he was speaking to Kulikov's agent on a daily basis and coach Kevin Dineen is confident that something will be worked out within the next few days. The Panthers defenseman went over to play for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the KHL during the lockout, but stated before he left that he wanted to return to the NHL.