2. Sean Kuraly
Aside from his linemate Chris Wagner, Sean Kuraly was under fire all season from fans, and rightfully so. In 47 games in 2021, Kuraly had four goals and five assists, but the fourth-line center, for the most part, had a plus/minus of minus-10. In the playoffs, he failed to register a point in 11 games and finished with a minus-3.
Acquired on June 30, 2015, in a deal from the San Jose Sharks that involved goaltender Martin Jones, Kuraly has been a good penalty-killer for the Bruins, but the unrestricted free agent simply struggled in the shortened season and postseason.
On April 11, Sweeney acquired Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Anders Bjork and a draft pick. That deal could have sealed Kuraly’s fate in Boston beyond this season.
Lazar has one more year remaining on his contract with a very nice price tag of $800,000. Lazar impressed in his time with the Bruins enough to be ready to take over the center position on the fourth line and allow the Bruins to move on from Kuraly. In his tenure in Boston, Kuraly did a lot of the dirty work for the Bruins, but it’s clear that his time at the TD Garden should be up.