Boston Bruins Prospect Sent Back to Providence. What’s Next?

Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced Sunday, that the team has assigned forward Georgii Merkulov back to Providence of the American Hockey League. Merkulov appeared in one game on Friday against the New York Rangers and played just over ten minutes of ice time.

The 5-foot-11, 174-pound forward had skated in 17 games with Providence this year, tallying six goals and eight assists for 14 points. Overall, Merkulov has played in 218 career AHL games, all with Providence, registering 76 goals and 117 assists for 193 points. The Ryazan, Russia native was originally signed by Boston as a free agent in 2022 out of Ohio State University.

Merkulov has been a top AHL player with a 30-goal season in 2023-24. Last season, Merkulov tallied 54 points in 59 games but his defensive details and lack of overall physicality have prevented him from getting an extended NHL look. In 11 total games with Boston, Merkulov has one assist and in each stint with the Bruins, the center has had limited ice time.

Currently, Merkulov is on a one-year, two-way contract with Boston and is 25 years old. The feeling is that if Merkulov cannot get a fair chance in the NHL, that the KHL might be in play in his native country. It is becoming clear that Sweeney and the organization do not see Merkulov in their future plans. Therefore, this might be the end of the road for Georgii Merkulov in any type of Bruins uniform.