Sean Kuraly knows what’s at stake for the 2024-25 Columbus Blue Jackets. He understands that under new leadership, everyone will be tested.
The new season is even more important for Kuraly as it is the last season under his current contract. On July 28, 2021, he signed a 4-year, $10 million contract.
Kuraly has had three tough seasons with the team. Dean Evason will be his fourth head coach since joining the Blue Jackets (Brad Larsen, Mike Babcock and Pascal Vincent). At 31, Kuraly knows that with each new season, his chances of winning the Stanley Cup dwindle.
After helping build the 13th Blue Jackets’ playground at the Ward YMCA on Friday, Kuraly stopped by for an exclusive one-on-one interview. While cooling off under the pavilion, we talked about a variety of things, including his offseason, his thoughts on the new leadership and how much thought he’s put into his future.
Here is our conversation.
Questions and answers about Sean Kuraly
THW: Sean, thanks for doing this. How was the summer for you?
Kurali: “It’s been good, obviously a long summer, so now you’re ready to get going again and you’re excited about it. But it’s been good. It’s been relaxing before practice. I’m excited to be back in Columbus. I’ve been here most of the time, but I’m excited to have all the new additions here and get everyone together and see what this group looks like up close.”
THW: What did you want to prioritize for yourself this offseason?
Kurali: “As you get older, speed seems to be the most important thing in this league. You see guys making their way out of the league. Usually it’s a step slower. I’m just trying to get faster. You get older and you can’t do as much. But if you can keep your pace or get a little bit faster, I think you’re in good shape. It’s about fine-tuning and building a good engine that’s big enough to last a season. And then as it gets closer, it’s about fine-tuning and little tweaks, but you have to have the engine size that’s fast enough for me to last an NHL season.”
THW: How closely did you follow all the changes from the general manager to the new head coach?
Kurali: “Very accurate. You can say you’re getting away. I was in Europe for a while earlier this summer and took some time off. You still get those (notifications) on your phone and you can’t help (but pay attention to them). This is our life, such a big part of our life. Anytime things like this happen, it’s big news. It’s big news for us. You hear from other people about these decisions. From everything you hear, it sounds like we’re going in the right direction.”
THW: I’ve already spoken to Don Waddell and Dean Evason. They said they’ve spoken to most of you. What were your impressions of speaking to them?
Kurali: “I’ve talked to both of them and I think my first impression of Don is that he’s no nonsense. He’s here trying to get as much information as he can and he’s making decisions based on that information. And the rest of us, I think, we’re being evaluated and everyone is being evaluated as they should be. It’s a big evaluation year. I think there’s still a lot of uncertainty going into this season as to what the future is going to look like. But I think from my perspective, Don is here to make decisions and he’s already shown that he makes some tough decisions. I think we’re excited about that. We’re excited about this group that we have and it’s going to move forward.”
Kuralys Future
THW: You’ve already hinted at it. You said it’s your fourth season, your last under your current contract. Have you thought much about what the future might bring?
Kurali: “Well, Mark, that definitely comes to mind. I think you’d be lying if it didn’t. For me, it’s just about helping this team as much as I can. You hope we’re moving in a good direction, and I make sense for a team like this. I think that’s the goal. Sometimes it’s not all about how a player does when he’s not on a team. This is my hometown. I love being here. I want to be part of a solution, like most of the guys in this locker room. You think about it and it’s there. I don’t think you have to hide from it. You try to play good hockey. You try to be a good teammate, and you try to be a good person in the locker room. We have a lot of young guys, and I was fortunate to grow up in a locker room where there was a ton of support and a ton of help from older guys. I think it’s time for me to pass that on. I think that’s a fun part of it too. It’s a two-way street.”
THW: In that context, how important is it to have guys like Sean Monahan and Jack Johnson in the locker room? Guys who have been in the league a long time and know what it’s like?
Kurali: “Yeah, two experienced guys. Sean played a lot with Johnny (Gaudreau) and was Johnny’s teammate. They seem to get along well. And like I said, from everything you hear about these new additions, you hear nothing but good things. We’re excited about Sean. We’re excited about Jack. Jack obviously comes from a team where he knows what it’s like to win the Stanley Cup and he was in Columbus, so he can help us do that. He’s been through a lot. He’s got experience. We’ve got two experienced guys that I think our locker room and especially our leadership group are going to lean on. And we’re going to need everybody pulling in the same direction. It’s just not going to be enough for a couple of guys to do that. Everyone is expected to help. Everyone is expected to help us win games day and night. And, and we’re going to have to do it by committee when you look at our group.”
Why 2024-2025 may be different
THW: The depth at center and the work Waddell has done to achieve that with Monahan, Adam Fantilli, Cole Sillinger, you, Boone Jenner and Dmitri Voronkov. That’s good depth. How important will that factor be for the Blue Jackets in the 2024-25 season?
Kurali: “Well, it’s huge. I mean, it’s a lot on paper, and now it’s up to the players to make sure it’s a lot on the ice. We’ve got some work to do, and management can invest as much as they want in everything. But we’ve got to execute. We’re at a point where we have the pieces, and now we’re expected to take the next step. The whole group of centers is expected to take the next step. We have what we need in terms of tools. For better or for worse, there’s a whole lot of us. There’s competition, and if you want to play center, you don’t want to be the one left out.”
THW: Why could this season be different for the Columbus Blue Jackets?
Kurali: “So, first of all, it’s got to be different. There’s no doubt about that. And when I talk to some of our guys about how we’re going to move forward this season, I think there are some clear things and clear areas that we can address. They’ll be addressed all summer long. I think that’s a good thing. We know where we fell short. It would be different if you were asking yourself why we were bad last year. I think that was pretty clear, on the ice, off the ice, in the defensive zone. We’re allowing too many goals. It’s pretty obvious where we fell short. I think when the reason for the failure is so obvious, at least you know where to start. I think we know where to start if we have a lot of work to do. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a lot of work. But I think if we get everybody pulling in the right direction, we’ll be in a good position.”
