The Colorado Avalanche have spent this offseason taking swings on former Boston Bruins prospects, and their latest move fits that theme perfectly.
After landing former first-round pick Fabian Lysell in the Ivan Ivan deal, the Avalanche added another ex-Bruins prospect on July 20, signing Georgii Merkulov to a one-year, $850K contract. It’s not the kind of move that grabs headlines on its own, but it does have the feel of a smart bet on a player whose résumé says there may be more there than Boston ever fully tapped into.
Merkulov reached unrestricted free agency after qualifying as a Group 6 free agent. He signed a four-year deal with Boston and appeared in just 11 NHL games, which made his availability a little surprising given what he was doing in the AHL.
Last season with the Providence Bruins, he put up 24 goals and 61 points in 70 games. That production suggests the Avalanche are getting a player who has already shown he can carry offense at the minor league level.
The 25-year-old’s path to this point has been a steady climb. After leaving Russia, he posted six goals and 33 points in 36 USHL games in 2019-20, then followed that with 14 goals and 40 points in 38 games for the Youngstown Phantoms in 2020-21.
He then spent a season at Ohio State and scored 20 goals and 34 points in 36 games. Even with that track record, he went undrafted before turning pro and signing with Boston.
Once he got into the Bruins system, Merkulov kept producing. His best season came in 2023-24, when he scored 30 goals and 65 points in 67 games for Providence.
Boston gave him four NHL games that year and sent him back down after he failed to record a point. This past season, he played just one game for the Bruins despite that strong AHL output.
The Avalanche are almost certain to open the season with Merkulov in the Colorado Eagles lineup, but that doesn’t mean he’s buried. Colorado has been building depth, and Merkulov profiles as the kind of forward who could eventually earn a look in the bottom six if he keeps forcing the issue in the AHL.
That’s where this signing gets interesting. If he keeps producing, he could push his way into the picture sooner than expected. And with players like Fedor Svechkov not looking like guaranteed full-time locks, Colorado suddenly has another young option to monitor.
Along with TJ Hughes, Merkulov gives the Avalanche another young center with a chance to bring some needed youth into one of the oldest lineups in the NHL.
In Other News...
Avalanche Cup Veteran Jack Johnson Just Took An Unexpected Hockey Turn
Jack Johnsons post-playing path has taken another turn, and it lands him back in the college game after a brief stop in scouting. The former Avalanche defenseman and 2022 Stanley Cup champion has moved into a new phase of his hockey life, shifting from the ice to the bench after retiring and spending a short stretch as a pro scout with Vancouver.
For Johnson, the next step comes in a familiar place in another sense, as he joins a successful NCAA program with a strong development track record. It is his first coaching role, and it gives him a chance to help shape players at Ohio State while beginning a new chapter in the sport that defined his career. [Read more 🡒]
Brett Kulak's Contract Just Drew A Brutal Label Avalanche Fans Will Hate
Brett Kulaks name showed up on an annual list no player wants to see, with The Athletic slotting the Avalanche defenseman No. 8 among the NHLs worst contracts. It is the kind of label that draws attention in Denver because Colorado has built around finding value on the blue line, and Kulaks deal has been part of that conversation since he signed a five-year, $22.5 million contract.
The Athletics case leans on a sharp downturn in impact and the numbers behind his play in recent stops, but that framing is easy to challenge when a defenseman still fits a useful role and the salary cap keeps rising. From the Avalanches perspective, the bigger question is less about a harsh ranking than whether Kulaks contract really belongs anywhere near the leagues bottom 10, or whether this is simply the kind of list that overstates a mid-tier deal in a changing market. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Face One Opening Night Choice That Could Define Their Depth
The Avalanche have already put together a second version of their opening-night lines, and the exercise only reinforces what has been obvious about this roster all summer: Colorado can lean on its depth down the middle. With a group built around center strength, the real question is how quickly Jared Bednar wants to put that advantage to work when the season begins.
Jaden Schwartz is already back at Family Sports Center and even has a new jersey number waiting for him, another small sign that camp is moving toward the real thing. What remains unsettled is how Bednar will deploy all that center depth in the opener, and whether he chooses to spread it around or stack it in a way that gives Colorado an immediate edge. [Read more 🡒]