The clock was ticking on Georgii Merkulov for both the player and the Boston Bruins. He had to prove he was an NHLer while the Bruins needed to find out whether he was part of their plans. The time ran out on that clock on July 20th, and after five years with the team, the Russian forward will play elsewhere next season. 

Merkulov signed a one-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche. At 25, he’s starting to enter his peak years as a player; he’s finally developed into a well-rounded forward who can impact the game in multiple ways. It’s the timing that hurts the Bruins while benefiting an Avalanche team that can use a player like him both on their NHL and American Hockey League team, the Colorado Eagles. 

Merkulov, like many players who come from the KHL, needed a year just to acclimate to North America. The lifestyle, the language, and style of play take time to learn, and the Bruins prospect struggled at first. It’s why he spent two seasons in the USHL and another season at Ohio State in the NCAA before joining the Providence Bruins. 

Once he joined the AHL, Merkulov proved why he is a high-impact player on the offensive end. He scored 55 points in his first full season in the league and 65 in the next season. His offense wasn’t in question. His defense and physicality were. At 5-foot-11 and weighing 175 pounds, Merkulov wasn’t an intimidating presence and had to use his speed to become a key player on the defensive end. 

“It took time, a lot of barking but he’s an amazing pro,” Ryan Mougenel, Merkulov’s coach in Providence, noted in a conversation with The Hockey News. By the time 2025-26 rolled around, Merkulov was one of the Bruins best defensive players at the AHL level. It helped them build a suffocating defense and a great team that finished the season with the league’s best record. 

The past two seasons were when Merkulov hit his stride. He started to look like a player who could handle the third line at the NHL level. The problem is he’s 25 and not a prospect by any NHL standards. The Bruins had to make a decision, and they are looking towards the next group of prospects. 

The Avalanche instead are giving Merkulov the chance he deserves. The Bruins were patient yet ran out of patience with him, so the Avalanche are taking advantage, finding a forward who comes at a cap-friendly cost. 

Ideally, the Avalanche have a heavy third line, with Nazem Kadri as their center and Parker Kelly or Nic Roy on the wings. However, if they want to lean into speed and offense, they can have Merkulov playing on that line and not worry about the drop defensively. The Avalanche are a team built on skill and are known for running up the score on most teams. Merkulov allows them to lean into their strengths. 

At the AHL level, Merkulov is the type of veteran the Colorado Eagles want to have around. As someone who is a perennial 60-point player, he will carry the top line and be the veteran who can help out the prospects. Moreover, he has a built-in connection with Fabian Lysell, who was acquired from the Bruins earlier in the offseason. The duo can fuel the offense while also making their marks as the leaders of the team. 

The Avalanche entered this summer with two questions. How would they add depth, young depth specifically? How would they replace the loss of veteran talent on the Eagles to help out the prospects? Merkulov helps them with both issues. 

It’s fitting that Merkulov leaves the Bruins at the same time that Mougenel leaves for the NHL. The coach who was with him from day one and saw his growth is leaving at the same time as he is. 

They aren’t the only ones leaving Providence. The Bruins must replace the entire top line, their starting goaltender who won AHL goaltender of the Year in each of the past two seasons, plus a handful of vets in the middle six and on the defense. They are overhauling the roster, even by AHL standards. 

It makes sense. This team needed a reset after a few years, and with a new wave of prospects coming in, this is the time to do it. That said, it’s a risky game to play. The winning culture that was built in Providence helped the prospect take steps forward, and now they won’t have that in place. 

On the contrary, this team might go from first to worst in their division. The moves they made don’t suggest improvement, and Matthew Poitras, Dans Locmelis, and Dean Letourneau will be expected to carry this team when they are on the roster (the latter two aren’t expected to be there until late in the season).