All stats courtesy of hockeyreference.com.
My next player profile is on forward Sean Kuraly! Kuraly appeared in 71 games for the Bruins last season, in which he produced eight goals and 13 assists. He then played in 20 playoff games for the team on their run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, through which he tallied four goals and six assists. Drafted in the fifth round (133rd overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks, Kuraly has appeared in 154 career NHL games, over which he has recorded 14 goals and 22 assists. The 26-year-old center has only played for the Bruins organization over his three season NHL and professional career after turning pro following his junior season at Miami University (Ohio) in 2015-16.
Contrary to what anyone but Bruins fans may think because he is just a fourth-liner, Kuraly is a vital part of the Bruins. They have one of the best fourth lines in the league, which greatly helps them with matchups and depth scoring, and Kuraly is a major part of that. He’s a high-energy player who’s not afraid to get physical, and while he doesn’t score a lot, it is always at a great time as he is known as a big game player. He always steps up when the pressure is a its highest (for instance, he burst onto the scene for the team in 2017 when he scored the double-overtime goal in Game 5 against the Ottawa Senators in the first round of the playoffs), and that’s another reason why he’s such an important part of the Bruins roster. Kuraly is popular among fans and around the organization because of it, and it helps that’s he’s also known for jumping excitedly after scoring a goal, which is now nicknamed the “Kura-leap”. He’s fairly high-paid for a fourth-liner, with a $1.275 million cap hit for two more seasons, but I wouldn’t call him overpaid given he’s an overall solid and consistent player who always steps up in big games and scores huge goals.
As for what we can expect out of Kuraly next season, at his age what we see is what we will likely continue to get, although he may improve a little as he gains more experience, but that is certainly not a bad thing. If he plays in all 82-games next season, I think we can pencil him in for 20-30 points if the fourth line is as strong as it was at times last season, which I think it will be even though Acciari left for the Florida Panthers. There are a lot of options for the team to put there, including Joakim Nordstrom who played there a lot last season, so there should be no issues with that. The most likely scenario is that Kuraly plays most if not all of next season as the fourth-line center, but there’s a chance he moves up to the third line. If Coyle gets moved to Krejci’s wing (which seems unlikely at least to start the season but it may happen at some point) and Kuraly proves himself to be the best option to take over as the third line center, he could move up there and a prospect could take his spot. If that turns out to be the case, he should put up at least close to 30 points as he’ll have more ice time. Regardless, he’ll still be the fast, high energy, physical player who’s good in the dressing room, and hopefully, he continues to be a big game player (I think he will be). But, as with everyone else, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens over the course of this upcoming season.
Hockey Addict 