Sean Kuraly is the Bruins' prototypical fourth-line center. The front office loves a big fourth line full of defensive forwards who aren't afraid to get physical and wear down the other team. Don Sweeney and Cam Neely leaned into those players last season, and it worked: Kuraly, Tanner Jeannot, and Mark Kastelic were a formidable depth trio. The problem for the waiver-eligible Matthew Poitras is that Kuraly is the player he'll need to overtake on the depth chart.
Poitras doesn't bring the size or the physical element, although he's made a point of getting more involved on that side of the game in the AHL. The good news for Kuraly is that his line built up so much good fortune last season that it'd be hard for him to lose his spot, as long as he kept up a certain level of play.
Kuraly was one of the veterans on a young roster when the Bruins played a bulk of the Philadelphia Flyers' NHL regulars on Thursday night. He was expected to bring some stability and leadership to the young group, but instead he was a -2 in the 2-0 loss and won only two faceoffs. For a fourth-line center expected to play good defense and be reliable when called upon, that isn't a good start in the preseason.
The Flyers' first goal, from Matvei Michkov, was particularly bad for Kuraly. Michkov was his check when the players exited the corner with the puck at the blueline, and the Bruins' fourth-line center faded into the slot, leaving the Flyers' young forward alone for an easy tap-in off the Michael DiPietro rebound.
Matthew Poitras' case to make the lineup over Sean Kuraly
One thing Poitras has going for him is that his first preseason game showed he has more ability to make things happen on the ice than Kuraly. He may not have some of the usual intangibles for a fourth-line center, but he was a dog on a bone with the puck on Tuesday night and was skating better than ever.
The argument is that he isn't as physical a presence as Kuraly, but the center wasn’t doing much of the heavy lifting on that line anyway. Kastelic and Jeannot are the players who run around, and a lot of the time, Kuraly's shifts were just extended cardio, with not much going on either positively or negatively.
There is something to be said for a depth center who keeps things simple and isn't seen as a liability on the ice. Similar to a stay-at-home defenseman, sometimes it's better not to be noticeable at all on the ice. However, with the league shifting more toward offense and speed, it might not hurt to give Poitras minutes on the fourth line.
One of the biggest things is Poitras’ ability to play multiple roles. I think he would do great between Jeannot and Kastelic, but if a center struggles or gets injured, he can also play anywhere in the lineup and not look out of place. You can't say the same for Kuraly, and with the league trending toward more flexibility and depth, Poitras might be the better fit.
Poitras has been battling a lower-body injury for the past few days, and his status for playing the last preseason game Friday night is questionable. If he can't go, this might all be a moot point and Kuraly will keep the spot, but if he plays and performs well, there could be some serious questions come Saturday morning.
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