Bruins Notebook: Kraken claim Kuhlman; no traction yet in any DeBrusk trade

Karson Kuhlman is heading west. 

After getting placed on waivers Sunday afternoon, the 26-year-old winger was claimed by the Seattle Kraken 24 hours later — with more reps likely on the horizon for the fleet-footed forward. 

With Oskar Steen emerging as a viable bottom-six candidate in Boston’s forward corps over the last month, the writing was on the wall that Kuhlman’s time up with the Bruins might have been reaching its end. 

Even though Kuhlman has served as a dependable, defensively responsible soldier in Bruce Cassidy’s forward corps for years now, the Minnesota Duluth product’s lack of consistent scoring pop (seven goals, 15 points in 75 career games) prevented him from carving out an established role in Boston’s bottom-six unit. 

“Eventually we're gonna have numbers,” Cassidy said of his roster, which could also welcome Nick Foligno back up front in the next couple of days. “If you look at the forward group — I think it's 14-15 guys that have played for us. I'll put Steen in there at a consistent basis. I think we started the year with 14.  Now you add (Steen) in the mix, and I think he's done well enough to stand in the lineup. Plays the same position as Kuhly, so yeah, that has a lot to do with it.”

While the Bruins hoped that no team would claim Kuhlman and he’d be able to keep logging shifts down in Providence, good for Kuhlman to get scooped up by a team that — while plummeting in the standings — should be able to incorporate him in the lineup a bit more. 

With his skating ability and an underrated shot, Kuhlman has always projected as a fourth liner that could potentially expand his offensive game if put in the right spot. Perhaps Seattle is that destination. 

“That was the decision," Cassidy said. "I credit Steen for coming in and pushing and doing a good job. Kuhly ... when he went in, he played well. He just played to his strength, tried to be a little more physical at times when he could. Steener's just a little bit ahead of him right now.”

All quiet on the DeBrusk front

It’s been close to two months since Jake DeBrusk’s trade request has been made public.

And while there has been plenty of discourse surrounding the winger and his perceived value — there hasn’t been a lot of tangible action to report as of late when it comes to DeBrusk’s future and when the disgruntled forward might be packing his bags.

Granted, DeBrusk’s request came at a brutal time for both him and the Bruins — with a COVID outbreak necessitating the need for Boston to keep him in the lineup through most of December (at least the stretches that Boston had games on the docket). 

By the time the Bruins returned from the holiday break and regained a majority of their roster, it was DeBrusk that landed on the COVID shelf on Jan. 4, sidelining him for another four games.

Of course, a lot has changed in regards to the fortunes of this B’s team since DeBrusk signaled a desire to start anew. Once treading water around the dreaded no man's land that is .500 hockey, the Bruins are now on a roll — winning eight of their last nine games and boasting the longest current win streak in the league.

So with the Bruins suddenly gaining traction and DeBrusk starting to settle into consistent reps alongside Charlie Coyle on the third line — might there be a chance that DeBrusk has had a change of heart?

“I don't know if he's changed his mind,” Cassidy sa id. “That's probably a question better served for other people. He hasn't said that to me at all.”

I’m going to venture a guess that DeBrusk is still looking to play elsewhere in the near future — and the hold-up on any trade discussions is more a byproduct of Don Sweeney and the B’s playing the waiting game and hoping for a desperate team to eventually fold and offer up assets that fall in line with what they're targeting. 

As we’ve seen with a club like the Oilers, a lot can change with the fortunes of teams over the stretch of a full NHL season, and the Bruins might be able to increase what little leverage they have by waiting for more and more teams to feel the heat of a season slipping away. 

For now, the best-case scenario for all involved is for DeBrusk to keep on plugging away — and hopefully raise his value with a couple of strong nights on the scoresheet.

“I think his play has been good,” Cassidy said of DeBrusk. “I don't think he's been rewarded much recently going to the net. He's had some looks.  But that is where you got to keep pushing — because that was Pasta three weeks ago. He had some looks. It wasn't going in and look at him now, right? So you got to stay with it, bear down and continue to do the things you need to do. Hit the net when you do get chances, Pasta has done that a lot better. And go from there. 

"So I think away from the puck, Jake's done what we've asked — had some mistakes like every other guy on the team where we've worked to correct it away from the puck. But I think to answer your question — he's helped us win games here. And whatever happens down the road happens. But right now, as I said the other day, I think everyone involved is doing their part from the players to the staff to his teammates to try to make it work for everybody and help us win games. And I think that's the objective right now. And it's worked out that way.”  

Brad Marchand named NHL’s First Star of the Week 

Brad Marchand expressed no ill will last week despite getting snubbed for the 2022 NHL All-Star Game. Instead, he simply let his play out on the ice do the talking.

Despite playing all of last week with a busted-up nose, Marchand put together one of the most productive stretches of his impressive career — with the NHL awarding him First Star of the Week (ending Jan. 16) for his efforts. 

Over a four-game stretch, Marchand was an O-zone juggernaut, scoring six goals and posting 10 total points during the week. 

The 33-year-old forward recorded at least two points in all four games this week, highlighted by his fifth career hat trick against Montreal back on Jan. 12. 

Marchand also surpassed the 20-goal threshold once again, becoming just the third player in B’s history to reach that scoring mark in 11+ seasons, joining Patrice Bergeron (12 times) and Johnny Bucyk (16 times).