Boston Bruins: Karson Kuhlman shouldn’t be back in the AHL

Karson Kuhlman has found himself sent down to the AHL by the Boston Bruins, which in itself is a bit of an odd decision.

The move draws some genuine questions when you look at the fact the Boston Bruins have the contract space to have Karson Kuhlman counting toward their 23-contract roster limit. Not only that, the Providence Bruins don’t play again until after the NHL team, so it’s most certainly not a conditioning stint.

If this move is all about saving a little bit of money, it feels incredibly unjust to Karson Kuhlman who has managed to improve his game since his recent return to action on the Boston Bruins’ second line.

He may not have rewarded the Bruins with points, but he hasn’t looked wholly out-of-place. Maybe a little too highly placed in the line-up, but that’s been the case for some time on the right wing of that second line.

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A return of just 1 goal and 1 assist since the All-Star break hardly screams second line, nor do the minutes which dropped off to just 11:45 most recently against the Red Wings. Perhaps it’s simply a case of head coach Bruce Cassidy not having the trust in the player and getting in GM Don Sweeney‘s ear about it.

Maybe, of course, he’s on the trade market and the move is simply the Bruins’ taking advantage of his waiver-exempt status to save themselves a small bit of salary cap cost prior to a big trade arriving in town.

Earning just $750,000 a season though against the NHL salary cap, it’s hardly like Karson Kuhlman is being overpaid. It’s not like the David Backes deal that they gain $1.075 million on by burying the cap hit.

All in all, it’s a bit of a strange decision as it leaves the Boston Bruins with just 12 forwards on the roster ahead of their clash with the Montreal Canadiens.

Kuhlman adds a decent bit of pace on the second line, enough to keep up with Jake Debrusk and buy David Krejci time to catch-up. He shows a willingness to get involved in puck battles and although he lacks the finishing finesse, makes enough of a nuisance of himself to hold value.

The fact that Jeremy Lauzon joins him in heading to Providence isn’t as much of a surprise. Although the young defenseman has shown a confidence and willingness to lay hits and generally play physical, his suspension means he isn’t of great value to Boston right now.

The Karson Kuhlman decision is rather perplexing. The Jeremy Lauzon one, a little, but much less so.

Given there is space to have both on NHL contracts, you have to think these minor league demotions mean that something more is about to happen with the Boston Bruins on the trade market.