Stuck in neutral, and unable to generate enough offense on a consistent enough basis, the Bruins made four roster moves ahead of Saturday’s matinee head-to-head with the Blues.
And of that four-move morning, it was Bruins general manager Don Sweeney’s recall of Georgii Merkulov from Providence that feels like the most noteworthy.
Now in his third full season of AHL work, the 24-year-old Merkulov has remained a productive skater for the P-Bruins, with two goals and 11 points through 12 games this season. Merkulov has been especially hot lately, with two goals and seven points in his last five AHL contests.
A 5-foot-11 skater who can play both wing and center (but probably projects more as a wing at this level), this latest look at Merkulov comes following a 2023-24 season that saw the Big B’s put the Russian-born Merkulov out there for four games and just 10:35 of time on ice per game.
DENVER, COLORADO – OCTOBER 16: Riley Tufte #10 of the Boston Bruins plays the Colorado Avalanche in the first period at Ball Arena on October 16, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
In addition to Merkulov, the Bruins also called Riley Tufte back up from Providence.
After making Boston’s roster out of training camp, Tufte struggled to stay in the lineup and similar to Max Jones, had penalty problems that made him simply unplayable given the state of the Boston penalty kill.
Since his assignment down to Providence, the 6-foot-6 Tufte has recorded three goals and an assist in six games for AHL Providence.
Nov 9, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Patrick Brown (38) skates against New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov (28) during the first period at the TD Garden. (Brian Fluharty/USA TODAY Sports)
To make room for Merkulov and Tufte, the Bruins also officially reassigned Patrick Brown to AHL Providence.
Called up to center Boston’s fourth line this past Thursday in Dallas, Brown logged four hits, two blocked shots, and two shots on goal in 12:42 of time on ice. With Brown sent down, it projects that Mark Kastelic will slot back down into his ‘regular’ role as the engine that drives the middle of the Black and Gold’s fourth line.
Nov 2, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm (27) controls the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers in the second period at Wells Fargo Center. (Kyle Ross-Imagn Images)
And off the ice, the Bruins placed Hampus Lindholm on injured reserve as he continues to work his way back from a lower-body injury sustained on a blocked shot last Tuesday in St. Louis.
The Bruins have already said that Lindholm is going to be out “weeks.” They stressed that the plural part of that, meaning that Lindholm is not expected to be back anytime soon. Lindholm is not the only Bruins player with a week-to-week designation, as the Bruins also remain without right-shot defenseman Andrew Peeke (upper-body injury).
