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When the Canadiens acquired Brett Kulak from the Calgary Flames last October for Rinat Valiev and Matt Taormina, few anticipated he would become a key presence on the Montreal blue line this season.

At 25 years old and with 100 games of experience under his belt, NHL trends suggested Kulak had already hit his statistical prime. Most people hoped he would play sound hockey for the Laval Rocket and provide a solid depth option if injuries occurred.

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While GM Marc Bergevin is fond of saying you can never have enough defencemen, few experts thought much of the move at the time.

But his statistics last season suggested there was more than met the eye with Kulak — some untapped potential. He recorded strong underlying numbers despite partnering with Michael Stone, who has had his struggles when it comes to controlling the play over the years.

And that strong play is exactly what he’s brought to the Canadiens since his call-up in late November. Kulak has been the best defenceman on the team in that time when it comes to controlling shots (Corsi For %), and he’s second, behind captain Shea Weber, in terms of controlling scoring chances (Scoring Chances For %).