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Bruins Report Card: Fourth Line Establishes Identity
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- Bruins Report Card: Fourth Line Establishes Identity
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The Boston Bruins set out to become harder to play against last summer, and president Cam Neely said the team was going to be a "tough out."
"We really felt the bottom part of our lineup needed a little bit more piss and vinegar, if you will," said Neely. "So that was something we attacked first, and then, you know, the free agent class was what it was from an offensive standpoint."
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The Bruins made a few free agency moves last summer, bringing in some forwards to solidify and strengthen the bottom-six. Sean Kuraly returned to Boston after four years with his hometown team, and Tanner Jeannot joined the team on a five-year deal.
Mark Kastelic was acquired in the Linus Ullmark trade in 2024, but a concussion and lingering symptoms held him out of the last 12 games of his first season in Boston. Before he was hurt, he signed a three-year extension that runs through 2027-28.
The fourth line took some time to piece together, but once they did, Marco Sturm rarely separated the three. Even in the playoffs, with the top three lines being shuffled , the fourth line remained intact.
Together, the three routinely brought hard and reliable shifts, physicality, and embodied the Bruins' identity.
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MARK KASTELIC: A-
Season Stats: GP: 82; G: 12, A: 10, Pts: 22; +/-: +6, PIM: 140; ATOI: 12:37
Playoff Stats: GP: 6; G: 0, A: 1, Pts: 1; +/-: +1, PIM: 11; ATOI: 11:25
Expectations
Kastelic quickly showed the Bruins what he was capable of doing when he arrived in 2024. In 61 games, he had five goals and 14 points, but his impact was more notable off the scoresheet. He brings a hard, physical game, one that fits the Bruins' identity, and he is not afraid to drop the gloves.
He returned to training camp healthy, clear from the lingering concussion symptoms that sidelined him at the end of the 2024-25 season.
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Season Review
Kastelic had the best season of his five-year NHL career. For the first time, he scored 10 goals, and he set a new career-high with 22 points.
With the addition of Sean Kuraly at center, Kastelic moved to the wing. While he admitted he was more comfortable at center, he got over the hump and transitioned to the right side effortlessly. He did take 564 faceoffs, winning 343 (60.8%) of them, and he was the most important center in overtime. He had a rare role, similar to the lacrosse FOGO, where he takes the faceoff and immediately gets off the ice.
While mainly on the fourth line, Kastelic played on the third line with Jeannot and Fraser Minten in November and December. The line worked, and Marco Sturm redeployed them late in December, but the fourth line also proved to be one of Boston's more difficult lines to play against this season.
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Kastelic played in all 82 games and then in all six playoff games. He took a beating in Game 5, but stayed in the lineup and did not miss Game 6.
"Usually you get asked about guys doing great things, and as the year goes on, you just come to expect those things from a guy like Mark," said linemate Sean Kuraly after Game 5.
Kastelic also tied for the league lead with 10 fights , finished second in the league with 140 PIMs, and ranked 15th with 215 hits. He added a team-leading 24 hits and one fight during the playoffs .
Future
The Bruins have Kastelic signed through the 2027-28 season, and he carries a $1.567 million cap hit. The contract extension already looks great for the Bruins, who have seen the two best seasons of Mark Kastelic's career.
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Kastelic is a versatile option in the bottom six. He is a natural center who can play the wing, kill penalties, and bring a physical game to the ice. He worked out on the third line, giving Marco Sturm another option if injuries rise, but his style of play is what made the fourth line successful this season.
While he is not the first name that comes to mind when you think about the Bruins' future, Kastelic, at 27, has become an important part of their identity. Kastelic delivered the style of play the Bruins were looking for, and he was a reason why they were a tough out.
SEAN KURALY: B-
Season Stats: GP: 82; G: 6, A: 16, Pts: 22; +/-: even, PIM: 41; ATOI: 13:20
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Playoff Stats: GP: 6; G: 1, A: 1, Pts: 2; +/-: +1, PIM: 2; ATOI: 12:39
Expectations
After a four-year stint with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Bruins brought Sean Kuraly back on a two-year deal.
Ahead of the season, Don Sweeney commented on Kuraly's "energy, commitment and professionalism, familiarity with our locker room and what we're trying to accomplish organizationally." He was brought in as a veteran presence; he's the oldest player on the roster. His role was to win faceoffs, kill penalties, and drive the fourth line.
Season Review
For his role, Kuraly checked all of the boxes. He took 662 draws, won 338 of them (51.1%), and he led the team in shorthanded time on ice (224:05). Earlier in the season, Marco Sturm called him the "motor of our PK." The Bruins penalty kill did not hit the ground running, but they righted course after the Olympic break.
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Kuraly scored a shorthanded goal in garbage time of Game 4, his first since November 20, 2022.
The best ability is availability, and Kuraly played all 82 games plus six more in the postseason. He was one of three Bruins to do so (Kastelic, Minten). Kuraly was also one of the veteran presences on the roster, and the Bruins brought him back partly because of his familiarity with the room.
Kuraly played a more physical game in Columbus, but did not have to lean into that role as much in Boston. Guys like Jeannot and Kastelic take that load off Kuraly's back. This is the first full season (excluding COVID-shortened) that Kuraly finished with fewer than 100 hits (87).
He also upped his point totals from his last three seasons in Columbus, hitting 22 for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
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Future
The Bruins love a fourth-line center who can kill penalties and win faceoffs, and Kuraly brings exactly that. He never strayed from his spot as the fourth-line center, and it is hard to envision next year looking much different.
He was not brought back to score goals, but to fill the 4C spot in Boston. The Bruins have internal candidates who could play the role, but Kuraly routinely steadied the penalty kill and locked down the fourth-line role.
Kuraly is signed for one more season with a $1.85 million cap hit, and he will be a 34-year-old unrestricted free agent when his contract expires.
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TANNER JEANNOT: B
Season Stats: GP: 77; G: 6, A: 16, Pts: 22; +/-: -4, PIM: 66; ATOI: 12:39
Playoff Stats: GP: 6; G: 1, A: 0, Pts: 1; +/-: even, PIM: 6; ATOI: 11:25
Expectations
The Bruins' biggest free agency signing on July 1, 2025, was a five-year deal worth $17 million ($3.4 million AAV) handed to Tanner Jeannot. He was five years removed from his 24-goal and 41-point season with Nashville, but that was not the expectation when the Bruins signed him.
"I don't know if he's getting back to scoring 27 goals. I sure hope so," said Sweeney after signing the contract. "Deep down, we believe he'll bring a lot more energy to our group. The physicality is there."
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Before joining the Bruins, Jeannot had 200 hits in each of the last five seasons. That was not expected to change, and he was going to play a part in making the Bruins a "tough out."
Season Review
Jeannot started on the third line with Fraser Minten and Mikey Eyssimont , and he continued with Minten and Kastelic before slotting on the fourth line in December.
He started hot, scoring twice in the first five games of the season, but cooled down for four in the last 72. However, for the first time since his first full NHL season, Jeannot hit the 20-point mark, doing so just before the Olympic break.
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Jeannot ranked 13th in the league with 239 hits, and he led the Bruins in the category.
Jeannot, who finished the season with eight fighting majors, took on some of the league's toughest . He fought when needed, and often, it provided a spark to the Bruins bench. At the end-of-season press conference, Don Sweeney directly referenced the late March comeback win in Columbus . He pointed to Jeannot and Kastelic's two fights in eight seconds as the moment that turned the game around.
Future
The Bruins proved to be a tough out this season, but their first-round showing proved they need more help. While Jeannot does not fit the call for speed and skill, his role is carved out in Boston, and he plays a brand of hockey that is hard to replicate.
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Tanner Jeannot is here to stay. He is signed until 2030, has a no-trade clause next season, followed by two seasons with trade protection. He will be 33 when his deal is up.
The contract raised eyebrows when first signed, but Jeannot's first season provided some justification for the long-term commitment. He delivered the physicality, found occasional offense, and embraced the Bruins' identity.
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