Sean Kuraly discusses emotional Columbus departure, excitement for Boston return

COLUMBUS, Ohio Sean Kuraly didnt pump a fist in the air.

He didnt lock eyes with a fan seated on the glass and launch his body into the boards, a signature move.

When he scored a goal in the final game of the Columbus Blue Jackets season on April 17, the veteran center simply drifted behind the net to celebrate with his linemates.

Advertisement It was a bittersweet moment on a bittersweet night.

I was pretty certain that was my last game (in Columbus), Kuraly said.

It was pretty clear to me that it might not work out (for me to stay with the Blue Jackets), so that was in the back of my mind, absolutely.

Really, it was right there in everything I did that night.

Kuraly signed a two-year, $3.7 million contract with the Boston Bruins a few hours after free agency opened on July 1, returning to the franchise and the city where he started his NHL career nine years earlier.

When free agency opened at noon that day, Kuraly and his agent, Justin Duberman, fielded calls from more than 10 teams expressing interest.

They didnt choose Boston based on the longest term or the highest salary, but because it was the best fit.

Im so unbelievably excited, Kuraly said.

I have no regrets zero about coming back to play in Columbus.

Thats something I wanted to do at some point in my career, and if I hadnt done it (in 2021), I probably would have done it later.

So, no regrets.

But Boston ...

I have so many connections there, too.

I know them and they know me.

And when they talked about a role, or how they saw me as a player ...

yeah, it was like, they get it.

They know me.

Kuraly signed as a free agent with the Blue Jackets four years ago.

In addition to fulfilling a childhood dream he grew up in suburban Dublin, idolizing franchise legend Rick Nash he also wanted to help sustain the franchise after it had lost star players Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky and others.

It was not an easy stay.

There were losses.

So many losses.

His second and third seasons were especially rough.

There was dysfunction, too.

So much dysfunction.

The Pierre-Luc Dubois meltdown happened one month into his tenure in Columbus.

Kuraly played for three coaches in his four seasons, and he might have played for a fourth if Mike Babcock wasnt fired four days before training camp in 2023.

Advertisement This season, though, was as tough as any of them, Kuraly said.

He quickly fell out of favor with new coach Dean Evason, lost his spot on the penalty kill his calling card in the NHL, and not exactly a Blue Jackets strength last season and played the fewest minutes (11:45 per game) of his entire career.

He played less than 10 minutes in 14 games.

In Boston, Kuraly developed a reputation for scoring big goals on big stages in big moments.

In Columbus, he never played in a postseason game.

When Kuraly walked out of the Blue Jackets dressing room after that 6-1 win over the New York Islanders to end the regular season, he embraced his mom, Jane, who was crying.

She was really emotional.

I was, too, but in a different way, Kuraly said.

She was crying, and I was like, Cmon, Mom.

Its been a really tough year here, but now its over.' Kuraly had to laugh two days later, he said, when he returned to Nationwide Arena to collect his belongings and say goodbye to teammates.

It was his last time in the dressing room, and the support staff had left a memento for his farewell.

The puck (from the goal vs.

the Islanders) was taped in my locker, Kuraly said.

And it read: Sean Kuraly, last goal as a Blue Jacket, and it had the date on it.

Yeah, I laughed.

Thank you for inspiring the next generation and all youve done for your hometown! Best of luck in Boston, Kurls! pic.twitter.com/tbzEITQQwA Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) July 1, 2025 Kuraly grew up in the Bruins organization, reaching the NHL to stay in 2017-18.

Around him were respected veterans such as Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, Brad Marchand and David Krejci.

When he joined the Blue Jackets in 2021, just as they were beginning a roster rebuild, it was his chance to pass on the wisdom hed gained in five regular seasons and 57 postseason games.

Advertisement What an honor it was to learn from those guys in Boston, Kuraly said.

I didnt deserve it any more than the next guy.

I just got lucky.

And the coolest part for me, coming to Columbus, was switching roles from Boston and now being the guy who is counted on to work with younger guys.

I was pretty proud of the way I handled myself in Columbus those first couple of years when the young guys were just starting to arrive.

Obviously, (former GM) Jarmo (Kekalainen) made a lot of impressive picks, and it was so fun to be around them.

Honestly, I might have learned as much from them as they learned from me.

Kuraly became an older brother type.

Nothing drove that point home more powerfully, or poignantly, than the vigil outside Nationwide Arena to honor Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, who tragically died a couple of weeks before training camp last fall.

Cole Sillinger, then only 21, stepped down from the stage after delivering a powerful, tear-filled tribute to the Gaudreaus, then broke down in tears and crashed into Kuralys arms.

It was such an honor to play with those guys, Kuraly said.

Great group of guys, and Im so, so excited for whats coming for them.

Theyve got a chance to do something good with the hockey players that are there in that room.

Becoming friends with Boone (Jenner) and Z (Zach Werenski) and the other guys in there ...

well be friends forever.

Ill cherish that.

Kuraly, 32, had 40 goals and 45 assists in 290 games with Columbus.

His goals, points and ice time decreased every season in Columbus, a clear sign that it was time for a change.

Once the Blue Jackets acquired third-line center Charlie Coyle from the Colorado Avalanche five days before free agency, it became clear that Kuraly would not be back.

Coincidentally, Coyle and Kuraly played together for parts of three seasons in Boston.

Advertisement Kuraly had a little contest with his family heading into July 1, he said.

His brothers and his mother were asked to guess which NHL club he would join via free agency.

Nobody had any idea where this was going, Kuraly said.

But when I told them, my mom screamed so loud, I think all of Dublin would have heard her.

Shes excited.

I think she knows how much fun I had there, the success we had, how much I love the city.

She knows her kid is going to be happy, and so shes happy.

Yeah, its good.

(Top photo of Sean Kuraly: Tim Fuller / Imagn Images).

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