Stan Bowman said it himself. "We certainly weren't trying to trade Brett Kulak. He's a great person and a great player on our team. We're going to miss him."

Kulak was flipped to the Penguins from the Oilers on Friday, along with Stuart Skinner and a 2029 second-round pick, in exchange for Tristan Jarry and Samuel Poulin.

The problems in net in recent years have played an outsized role in keeping Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the Oilers from getting over the hump and winning the Stanley Cup.

On Saturday, during the first day of World Junior camp, Brunicke was on a top-four pairing with 2025 first-round pick Kashawn Aitcheson, who was selected 17th overall by the New York Islanders. Aitcheson, a big, hard-hitting blueliner, has 19 goals and 32 points in 27 games this season for the Barrie Colts of the OHL.

Kulak (immigration) will not play Saturday and has been placed on non-roster injured reserve. Kulak was dealt to Pittsburgh from Edmonton on Friday and needs to get a work permit in order to play. That could take up to a week for the defenseman, who had two assists in 31 games with the Oilers this season.

The Nashville Predators have traded defenseman Spencer Stastney to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a third-round pick in 2027.

The Edmonton Oilers have traded former Canadiens defenseman Brett Kulak to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a big swap. Here are the full trade details, which include the Oilers bringing in goaltender Tristan Jarry from Pittsburgh.