On 19 January 2011, it was confirmed that Niculae had joined Kavala on a six-month loan deal. He made his Kavala debut four days later in a 3–0 home win over Iraklis Thessaloniki, playing with the number 29 shirt. He scored his first goal for Kavala in a 1–0 home win against Kerkyra on 6 February. On 27 February, Niculae opened the score in a 2–0 away win against PAOK. His goal was selected by EPAE as the Goal of the Round. On 3 April, he netted Kavala's only goal in a 1–3 away defeat against Olympiacos. He scored again in his next game, scoring Kavala's equaliser in a 1–1 home draw against Skoda Xanthi. Niculae ended his spell in Greece netting four times in 12 appearances.