Boston Bruins · Center · Shoots L

Sean Kuraly

Age 33 · 6'2" · 214 lb · Born in Niagara Falls, USA

Cap hit

$1.85M

1.8% of $104M cap

Term

1 yr

Through 2026-27, then UFA

Clause

None

Surplus value

+$986K

vs. $2.836M market estimate

Confirmed by the public signing announcement · source

2026-27 regular season

Goals

0.0% shooting

Assists

0 primary

Points

0.00 per game

TOI/GP

12:13

PP 0:00 · PK 0:42

Plus/minus

Hits

Blocks 3

PIM

Game Score

+0.33

per game

Game log

Last 5 games · NHL API

Game	SOG	HIT	BLK	TOI	PP	PK	FO	GV	GS
Oct 3 @ MIN · L 4-1	3	0	1	10:36	0:00	0:21	5-3	1	+0.23
Oct 2 @ WPG · W 4-3	1	6	0	11:02	0:00	1:11	5-4	0	+0.39
Sep 29 vs NYR · W 3-0	2	1	2	15:01	0:00	0:35	5-3	0	+0.36
May 1 vs BUF · L 4-1	0	0	0	9:40	0:00	3:11	4-2	2	-0.13
Apr 28 @ BUF · W 2-1	0	2	0	13:30	0:00	2:46	3-0	0	+0.09

GS = our Game Score (credit for everything he did; goals and assists count most). FO = faceoffs won-lost. OZS% = share of his 5v5 offensive and defensive zone faceoff starts that were in the offensive zone. GV/TK = giveaways/takeaways.

Advanced metrics

5v5 unless noted · 2025-26 · 843 min · percentile vs. NHL forwards

xGF%49.9%

56th percentile

Relative xGF%+2.7

75th percentile

HDCF%52.4%

68th percentile

CF%50.3%

62nd percentile

Relative CF%+1.8

73rd percentile

FF%51.2%

67th percentile

GF%49.2%

49th percentile

CF/6061.3

76th percentile

CA/6060.5

28th percentile

ixG/600.66

19th percentile

Goals above expected-3.3

17th percentile

IPP64.5%

51st percentile

PDO99.1

41st percentile

OZS%28.9%

6th percentile

Faceoff %51.1%

338 won · 324 lost (all strengths)

xGF% is his team's share of 5v5 expected goals while he was on the ice, from our own expected goals model; HDCF% counts only high-danger chances (xG of 0.15 or more). IPP is the share of his team's 5v5 goals while he was on the ice that he scored or assisted on. Relative stats compare him with his team when he was off the ice. Goals above expected and ixG/60 use his own shots at all strengths. PDO and OZS% describe luck and deployment, so their bars are grey.

Play styleDefensive-minded playmaker

Trait percentiles vs. NHL centers · 2025-26

Kuraly excels at defensive positioning and winning battles to create pressure, with elite ability to generate rush chances through aggressive forechecking. His shot volume and puck handling lag behind, making him a low-volume contributor who stabilizes play through effort and positioning rather than shot creation.

BackcheckingRush chancesDefensive grit

Shooting volume: 46
Playmaking: 47
Zone entries(est.): 95
Forechecking: 53
Physicality: 58
Defensive impact: 89
Puck management: 34
Speed: 49

Where he shoots from

Slot 36% · Mid-range 35% · Perimeter 29%(159 unblocked shots)

Strengths

Elite 95th percentile rush chance generation through relentless forechecking and gap control
Excellent 89th percentile defensive impact, anchoring possession while preventing scoring chances
Solid 58th percentile physicality, winning puck battles and creating loose-puck opportunities

Watch-outs

Below-average 46th percentile shooting volume limits his offensive ceiling
Weak 34th percentile puck management means occasional turnovers in transition play
Below-average 47th percentile playmaking suggests limited assist creation from his chances

Similar style: Zakhar Bardakov, Jason Dickinson

Built from play-by-play, shift data, and NHL EDGE tracking. Zone entries is an estimate (rush chances while he is on the ice) until tracking data is added.

Career stats

From the NHL's player records

NHL regular season NHL playoffs All leagues

Season	Team	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	SHG	GWG	SOG	S%	TOI	FO%
2016-17	Boston Bruins	4	2	0	2	0	4	0	1	10	20.0	12:25	30.8
2017-18	Boston Bruins	12	2	2	4	+5	2	0	0	20	10.0	11:56	40.9
2018-19	Boston Bruins	20	4	6	10	+4	8	0	2	52	7.7	15:39	50.4
2019-20	Boston Bruins	10	1	2	3	-4	4	1	1	11	9.1	12:55	51.8
2020-21	Boston Bruins	11	0	0	0	-3	6	0	0	12	0.0	13:05	51.9
2025-26	Boston Bruins	6	1	1	2	+1	2	1	0	3	33.3	12:39	62.8
Career	6 seasons	63	10	11	21	+3	26	2	4	108	9.3	13:34	—

Seasons traded mid-year show one row per team.

Latest news

Headlines from news outlets and team blogs

Bruins face difficult decision between Sean Kuraly and Matthew Poitras
causewaycrowd.com · Sep 25

Sentiment & chatter

Fans

—

Beat writers

—

Media

—

Fan, beat writer, and media scores, the 14-day trade chatter chart, and the latest mentions appear once sentiment scoring is switched on. Mentions are already being collected.

Recent Game Scores

Last 10 games · goals above average

+1.8

+1.8NJD4/14

+0.1

+0.1BUF4/19

+0.8

+0.8BUF4/21

+0.3

+0.3BUF4/23

+1.0

+1.0BUF4/26

+0.1

+0.1BUF4/28

-0.1BUF5/1

+0.4

+0.4NYR9/29

+0.4

+0.4WPG10/2

+0.2

+0.2MIN10/3

Average +0.48 per game over these 10.

Where his Game Score comes from

+0.32 per game

2025-26 · 82 GP

Season total +26.0, or +0.32 per game.

Scoring: +16.0
Shooting: +8.3
5-on-5 goals: -0.1
Defense: +0.6
Penalty kill: -0.7
Physical play: +4.1
Puck battles: -1.9
Penalties: -0.4
Faceoffs: +0.1

Game Score gives credit for everything a player does in a game. Goals (1.0) and assists (0.7 primary, 0.5 secondary) count most; shots, blocks, hits, takeaways, penalties drawn, faceoff wins, killing penalties, and holding down the other team's chances add to it. Only mistakes subtract: goals against at 5-on-5, giveaways, penalties taken, faceoff losses, and allowing more chances than an average player would. A player who is there to defend or kill penalties is not marked down for not scoring. Goalies are measured by goals saved above expected.

Skating · NHL EDGE

2026-27, as of Oct 2

Top speed: 19.2 mph; 6th pct
20+ mph bursts: 0
Hardest shot: 60.5 mph; 31st pct
Distance: 2.4 mi
OZ time: 32.3%; 3rd pct
DZ time: 47.1%

Usage

Last game: @ MIN, Oct 3

Line 4 with Tanner Jeannot and Mark Kastelic (6:38 together at 5-on-5)

From the NHL's shift chart.

Age curve

At 33: 69% of peak

NHL forwards · production index

202937

At 33, forwards typically produce 69% of their peak (age 24).

From 24 seasons of NHL results, adjusted for league scoring and save percentage in each era. Shaded bars are the seasons left on his contract.

Contract by season

1 season left

Season	Team	Cap hit	% of cap
2026-27	BOS	$1.85M	1.8%

UFA after 2026-27. $1.85M in cap hits left. % of cap uses each season's ceiling where the league has set one ($104M this season, $113.5M in 2027-28).