This Bruins prospect should get more looks in the NHL next season.
Georgii Merkulov is continuing to rise up the Boston Bruins' prospect rankings. Since signing with the Original Six club in April 2022, he has been a very impactful player down in the AHL with the Providence Bruins.
After posting 24 goals and 55 points in 67 games with Providence in 2022-23, Merkulov broke out even further this season. The 23-year-old was one of the AHL's top players, as he set new career highs with 30 goals, 35 assists, and 65 points in 67 games. He was also named an All-Star for the first time in his AHL career.
Due to his immense success in the AHL this campaign, Merkulov rightfully earned his first recall to the NHL this campaign. In four games with Boston, he had zero points and a plus-1 rating. From there, he would be reassigned to Providence and did not return.
While Merkulov had a slow start to his NHL career in 2023-24, there is no question that he deserves more chances with Boston next season. He has been nothing but excellent with Providence, and the Bruins should take more shots on him next year because of it.
The Bruins have several free-agent forwards, with Jake DeBrusk, James van Riemsdyk, Pat Maroon, and Danton Heinen all having expired deals. As a result, if a few of these players walk, there could be spots for Merkulov to fight for in training camp. It also depends on how many forwards the Bruins bring in this summer.
Nevertheless, given how well Merkulov has performed with Providence over the last few seasons, next season feels like the right time to give him more reps with Boston. The production he has provided in the AHL is quite encouraging, so perhaps he could give Boston more secondary scoring in their bottom six in 2024-25.
