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Sean Kuraly

Morning Notes: Kuraly, Day, MacEachern, Kovalchuk

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Sean Kuraly is reportedly doing okay after suffering an abdominal injury that led him to collapse behind the Columbus Blue Jackets bench on Saturday night. The 30-year-old forward was transported to the local Grant Medical Center for further evaluation and avoided being admitted. Kuraly’s scary injury brought a premature end to the first period of the Blue Jackets and Toronto Maple Leafs matchup.

Kuraly has appeared in 35 games with Columbus this season, recording 11 points and 28 penalty minutes. The centerman is in his third season with the Blue Jackets, who signed him as an unrestricted free agent ahead of the 2021-22 campaign. Kuraly joined Columbus on a four-year, $10MM contract, making him the fourth-most expensive forward on the Blue Jackets roster, and the second-most expensive of all healthy forwards with Patrik Laine, Jack Roslovic, and Boone Jenner on injured reserve. Kuraly has appeared in 183 career games with the Blue Jackets, scoring 61 points, recording 157 penalty minutes, and setting a -28. This stat line combines with five seasons with the Boston Bruins to bring Kuraly’s career totals to 129 points and 291 penalty minutes in 453 games.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have sent Sean Day to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. Day was recalled to the NHL lineup on December 21st and failed to appear in any games with the Lightning. Day has only managed two NHL appearances in his career, both coming in the 2021-22 season. He failed to score in the pair of outings, recording a -2. Day has appeared in 17 AHL games this season, recording eight assists but still searching for his first goal of the year.
  • Mackenzie MacEachern has been sent back to the AHL after appearing in five games with the St. Louis Blues. They were MacEachern’s first NHL games of the season, with the 29-year-old winger scoring one assist. MacEachern has also managed 22 AHL games this year, netting 12 points and eight penalty minutes. MacEachern is in his second stint with the Blues, spending four years with the club earlier in his career before briefly joining the Carolina Hurricanes organization last year. MacEachern played in five postseason games as the Blues pursued their 2019 Stanley Cup win.
  • Hockey Hall of Fame hopeful Ilya Kovalchuk played in his first professional game since the 2020-21 season on Sunday, scoring an empty net goal to help lead Spartak Moskva over the Kunlun Red Stars. Kovalchuk most recently appeared with Omsk Avangard of the KHL, scoring 17 points in 16 games in 2020-21. The 40-year-old winger led a prolific NHL career, totaling 443 goals and 876 points in 926 games. Kovalchuk recorded 681 points in 594 games with the Atlanta Thrashers, a mark that ranks third all-time in Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets franchise scoring.

East Notes: Barzal, Levi, Kuraly

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New York Islanders head coach Lane Lambert issued an update on his team’s star forward, Mathew Barzal, who has been out since the middle of February with a lower-body injury. As relayed by Newsday’s Andrew Gross, Lambert said that Barzal has not yet resumed skating, indicating that he is still a ways away from making his return to the Islanders’ lineup.

While a 7-2-1 run in their last ten games has gone a long way to put the Islanders in pole position for an Eastern Conference Wild Card spot, the Islanders remain a team below their full capabilities with Barzal out of the lineup. Despite facing some significant criticism in recent years due to the fact that he has not yet seen his numbers reach the heights they saw in his Calder Trophy-winning rookie year, Barzal remains the Islanders’ most talented forward and the skater on their roster most capable of taking over a game. He’s scored 51 points in 58 games this season, and his return would give the Islanders a major boost as they look towards a likely first-round matchup where they’ll be a significant underdog.

  • Devon Levi, one of the game’s top goalie prospects, was on the ice today for Buffalo Sabres practice according to The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski. The former Northeastern Husky earned a three-year entry-level deal jam-packed with performance bonuses and remains on the Sabres’ active roster. While it’s not officially clear whether Buffalo plans on getting Levi some NHL action over the course of the rest of this season, his presence with the team and on their roster, rather than with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, indicates that the team could be leaning towards giving Levi a chance against NHL competition.
  • Veteran Columbus Blue Jackets center Sean Kuraly is returning to the lineup for his club’s game tonight against the New York Islanders. As team reporter Jeff Svoboda notes, Kuraly was originally projected to miss the rest of the season with the oblique strain he suffered on March 2nd, but he now returns with a full 12 games left on the schedule. The longtime bottom-sixer has scored 10 goals and 17 points for the Blue Jackets this season, providing valuable grit and veteran leadership to a young Blue Jackets team.

Sean Kuraly Out Six Weeks

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Columbus Blue Jackets forward Sean Kuraly is expected to miss six weeks after suffering a left oblique strain during practice on Thursday. The team made the announcement on Friday, adding another name to a long list of Blue Jackets injuries this season.

Game 82 of Columbus’ season, against the Buffalo Sabres, is exactly six weeks from today, meaning Kuraly may have played his last game of 2022-23. If so, he finishes the campaign with 10 goals and seven assists in 59 games, his second consecutive season hitting double-digit goals.

Kuraly had averaged 14:49 per game, serving as a quintessential bottom-six checking center for Columbus. His line with Eric Robinson and Mathieu Olivier had been Columbus’ most consistently deployed unit of the season, per MoneyPuck, surviving many injury-related lineup changes.

While the Blue Jackets are the healthiest they’ve been in quite some time, they’re still without Zach Werenski, Jake Bean, and Justin Danforth, none of whom are expected to return this season. Lane Pederson, claimed on waivers from the Vancouver Canucks at the end of January, could slide into Kuraly’s spot in the lineup between Robinson and Olivier.

Sean Kuraly Activated From Injured Reserve; Jack Roslovic To Be Scratched

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have officially placed Zach Werenski on injured reserve after announcing recently that he is out for the remainder of the regular season. It’s not all bad news though, as Sean Kuraly has been activated to take his spot on the roster.

Kuraly, 29, ended up missing only two games thanks to a five-day break the Blue Jackets had last week, and will likely assume his regular place in the lineup immediately. The veteran forward was great for the team last season with 14 goals and 30 points in 77 games and had been off to a nice start this year too, with four points in his first 11.

Still, Kuraly’s return won’t spark much excitement in Columbus where the season is quickly falling apart. Werenski is out for the year, Patrik Laine is out for a month, and Jakub Voracek, Justin Danforth, Nick Blankenburg, and Adam Boqvist all remain on injured reserve.

Even with that many injuries, the team is making a rather bold statement for tonight’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that Jack Roslovic will be a healthy scratch, with Kuraly and Kent Johnson drawing back into the lineup. A request for Roslovic to meet with the media was declined.

The 25-year-old center has just one goal in 14 games this season after signing a two-year, $8MM contract in June. The deal will walk him directly to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2024, but it seemed after last season like Roslovic had established himself as a core piece in Columbus. With 22 goals and 45 points in 81 games, he finished fifth among Blue Jackets forwards in 2021-22 despite still rather limited minutes. Averaging just over 14 minutes a night, nearly all of his production was at even strength.

While one scratch doesn’t guarantee a player’s time in a market is over, it is rather stunning to see a $4MM player in the press box while the Blue Jackets have so many other injuries. Message sent.

Zach Werenski Out Rest Of Season

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have updated the status of Zach Werenski and it isn’t good news. The star defenseman suffered a separated shoulder and torn labrum last season and is expected to miss the rest of the regular season. The team has also moved Nick Blankenburg, Sean Kuraly, and Jakub Voracek on injured reserve, while recalling Gavin Bayreuther, Marcus Bjork, and David Jiricek.

Blankenburg is out six to eight weeks with a fractured ankle. Kuraly is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Voracek is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury. Erik Gudbranson is also day-to-day but will not play tomorrow.

This is about the worst-case scenario for the Blue Jackets, who managed to win last night for just the fourth time this season. The team has already struggled to keep the puck out of their own net, allowing 57 goals through 13 games. By removing Werenski – and to a lesser extent Blankenburg – their defensive group now looks incredibly thin with basically no first-pairing talent. The 25-year-old also makes more than $9.5MM per season, a higher cap hit than anyone other than Johnny Gaudreau.

Without him, the team suddenly looks like a group that will be unable to turn around their tough start. The draft lottery in a year with several high-end prospects looks like a tempting reward for finishing near the bottom of the league.

The silver lining, perhaps, is that a young player like Jiricek could receive some interesting NHL opportunities. Werenski was the quarterback of the team’s top powerplay unit, a role that will now need to be filled by someone. During Jiricek’s short two-game taste earlier this year he did see a bit of time with the man advantage, though he wasn’t able to record a point.

While they won’t admit it, the Blue Jackets will likely have to transition this season into a development year and start looking toward the future. That will increase speculation about Gustav Nyquist, Vladislav Gavrikov, and Joonas Korpisalo, all scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency at the end of the year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Three Columbus Blue Jackets Injured, Brendan Gaunce Recalled

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The Columbus Blue Jackets announced a flurry of injury updates today, according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. Forward Jakub Voracek is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury, Sean Kuraly is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, and Patrik Laine is day-to-day with an illness. Forward Brendan Gaunce was also recalled from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, per a team release.

Voracek missed the second game of Columbus’ Global Series matchups in Finland last week with the injury. It’s a huge blow to their depth scoring if he’s out long-term, as he was tied for second in scoring on the team with six points in 11 games.

Kuraly sustained his upper-body injury in the second Global Series game, leaving in the second period after playing 8:09. He had two goals and two assists through 12 games and was tied for the worst +/- rating on the team (-8).

Laine’s illness is hopefully short-term, as he’s only been present for half of the Blue Jackets’ season thus far with an elbow injury. The Finnish winger has scored twice and is averaging nearly 20 minutes a game.

Gaunce ends up on the active roster as the only healthy extra. The AHL veteran was off to a hot start in Cleveland, registering 11 points through 10 games.

East Notes: Joseph, Mikheyev, Kuraly

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Mathieu Joseph has made an immediate impression on the Senators who acquired him before the trade deadline in a swap that sent Nick Paul to Tampa Bay.  After being in a limited role with the Lightning, the 25-year-old has had a chance to play a bigger role in Ottawa and has made the most of it, notching 12 points in 11 games.  However, his season may have come to an early end as head coach D.J. Smith told TSN’s Claire Hanna (Twitter link) that his injury is a little worse than they expected and will keep him out longer than anticipated.  While Smith stated that the injury isn’t serious, with only two weeks left in the season, it’s possible that Joseph has played his final game of 2021-22.  A restricted free agent this summer with arbitration eligibility, Joseph appears to be in line to land considerably more than his $813K qualifying offer.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • The Maple Leafs won’t engage in contract discussions with winger Ilya Mikheyev until after the season, notes Sportsnet’s Luke Fox. The pending UFA is having a career year despite missing 29 games due to a thumb injury as he has 17 goals and nine assists in 45 games, including four shorthanded tallies.  That has the 27-year-old in a good position to potentially double his current $1.645MM AAV on the open market this summer.
  • Blue Jackets center Sean Kuraly will return to the lineup after missing the last two games due to a stint in COVID protocol, relays Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch (Twitter link). He’ll take the place of Brendan Gaunce in the lineup.  Kuraly has set new career bests in goals (12) and points (28) in 72 games this season in his first year with Columbus.

Metropolitan Notes: Kuraly, Penguins, Sheary, MacEwen

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The Blue Jackets announced (Twitter link) that they have placed center Sean Kuraly in COVID protocol which means he will not play tonight against Detroit.  The team has been dealing with the virus lately with both head coach Brad Larsen and assistant coach Steve McCarthy entering the protocol late last month (they have since returned) while associate coach Pascal Vincent entered on Monday.  Kuraly has had a good first season with his hometown team, posting career highs in goals (12), points (28), faceoff wins (580), and hits (216) over 72 games.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • The Penguins will welcome winger Jason Zucker back to the lineup this afternoon as he has recovered from his knee injury, relays Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link). The veteran returned to the lineup at the end of March after missing more than two months following core muscle surgery but suffered the knee injury that very same game.  It has been a frustrating year for Zucker to say the least as he has been limited to just 32 games, collecting just eight goals and six assists.  Meanwhile, while winger Brock McGinn is getting closer to returning from the upper-body injury that has held him out for the last month, he isn’t quite ready to play just yet.
  • Washington winger Conor Sheary will miss today’s game against Pittsburgh due to a non-COVID illness, notes Mike Vogel of the Capitals’ team website (Twitter link). He didn’t take part in Friday’s practice or travel with the team.  Sheary has been a quality secondary scorer for Washington this season, collecting 35 points in 60 games.
  • Flyers winger Zack MacEwen has been cleared by team doctors but will need some time before rejoining Philadelphia’s lineup, mentions Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). He last played last weekend and suffered a head injury in a fight.  He has seven points and 101 penalty minutes in 66 games this season.

Sean Kuraly Signs With Columbus Blue Jackets

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have added some forward depth, signing Sean Kuraly to a four-year contract according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia tweets that the deal will be worth a total of $10MM. The $2.5MM AAV is more than double that of Kuraly’s previous contract with the Boston Bruins, implying that Columbus could have greater plans for the center than just a fourth line role.

This contract was one of the more easily anticipatable free agency deals this summer. Kuraly is a Dublin, Ohio native and Miami University grad, making his connection to Columbus obvious. For a team whose inability to retain talent in recent years has become an unfortunate focal point, it makes sense that they would commit long-term to a player who very much wants to play in the city. This is also not the first time that the Blue Jackets have targeted a Bruins fourth-line center in free agency; Riley Nash was the player that Kuraly replaced in Boston after he departed for a raise and greater role in Columbus, a move the team likely considered a success.

At 28, it may not seem that Kuraly has more room to grow. However, at times with the Bruins he flashed top-nine ability and arguably played better off the fourth line than on it. That is not to say that Kuraly isn’t an accomplished checker and smart two-way asset, but he could have the chance to produce at a much higher level if handed an elevated role by the Blue Jackets. In 2018-19 and 2019-20, Kuraly recorded back-to-back seasons of over 20 points despite not playing full seasons and being limited almost exclusively to a fourth line role. 30+ points per year is not out of the question for the newest pivot in Columbus.

Ondrej Kase Returns To Practice, Could Play For Boston This Week

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For the first time in 110 days, the Boston Bruins had winger Ondrej Kase back at practice on Friday. Kase suffered a concussion in just the second game of the season back on January 18, at least the fourth of his pro career, and had been unable to return to team activities ever since. There have been various reports for months about Kase skating, both independently and with the team, but he had never formally returned to practice. That changed yesterday, as the team reported that Kase was a full participant and taking line rushes. Head coach Bruce Cassidy addressed the excitement over Kase’s return by noting that Kase would not play on Saturday, but could return to the lineup in one or both of the Bruins final games on Monday and Tuesday – if he was feeling up to it.

Of course, expectations should be tempered for Kase’s return to game action after so much missed time. On talent alone, Kase likely has a spot in the lineup, even in the Bruins deep forward corps, but it will take him some time to get back up to speed. The former Anaheim Ducks standout was acquired last year in a deal that saw a first-round pick and promising prospect defenseman Axel Andersson head to Anaheim, so expectations have always been high for the 25-year-old forward. However, after missing eight games down the stretch and two in the playoffs last year due to injury (unrelated to concussions) and most of this season, Boston has still not seen much of Kase and may not rush him into the lineup. Playing in the final regular seasons games is a good start, but may not guarantee him a spot to begin the playoffs.

With that said, Kase did record four points in the postseason last year while showing chemistry with center David Krejci and playing top-six minutes for the Bruins through the team’s playoff run. While a spot next to Krejci may not be available right now, given the recent success that the veteran has had with Taylor Hall and Craig Smith, Kase could provide a spark to a third line that has not had as much luck. Kase split reps in practice on Friday at third-line right wing, skating with Sean Kuraly, Nick Ritchie, and Jake DeBrusk. Charlie Coyle will also be back in the third line mix when he returns from his own injury. With all but Coyle having spent time on the fourth line at times this season, Kase could prove himself worthy of a third line role thus knocking one of the others down the lineup. While injuries have prevented Kase from playing more than 66 games in any of his five NHL seasons, his 82-game pace during his time in Anaheim projected 20+ goals and 40 points while his posession stats have been consistently strong, numbers the Bruins can’t ignore for long if Kase is at full strength.

The Bruins face a series of difficult decisions this off-season regarding Kase and will certainly appreciate some added action this season with which to make their determination. A restricted free agent, Kase is owed a $2.6MM qualifying offer in order for Boston to retain his rights. While the club does not have the same serious salary cap issues as many other contenders, that is a sizeable amount of space to commit to a player that still remains such a mystery. If the Bruins do decide to qualify Kase, which is probably more likely than not, the next question will be how negotiations go from there. Does Kase accept his QO as a “show me” deal in 2021-22? Do the two sides discuss a multi-year extension, perhaps even at a lower AAV? Or does Kase instead file for salary arbitration and try go get more money based on his potential? The Bruins must also decide if Kase’s upside is worth protecting from the Seattle Kraken in the upcoming NHL Expansion Draft or if they can take the risk of the league’s newest team not selecting a player with an extensive injury history. There are more questions than answers when it comes to Kase, but both sides hope that his return to practice and possibly game action could lead to some playoff impact that helps to clarify the situation and lead to an extension in their relationship.

 

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