As the NHL trade deadline draws near, what should the Bruins do with Jake DeBrusk?

A few hours before the trade deadline in the previous season, the Boston Bruins signed David Pastrnak to the biggest deal in team history. Will another seasoned wing sign an agreement with the Boston Bruins before the March 8 NHL trade deadline this year? The best forward available to Boston is Jake DeBrusk, who can enter unrestricted free agency this summer. After the season, his $8 million, two-year deal will expire.

Thursday is one month away from the trading deadline. Is DeBrusk beginning to feel like this is actually happening? DeBrusk told reporters on Sunday, “Looking at it, I think it’s felt pretty real all year, to be honest.” “I believe that since training camp started, it’s been something you want to finish as quickly as possible. But clearly, this is where we are now. And to be honest, I don’t really have any original opinions about that. The trade deadline is in 1.5 months, and I hope it is completed quickly.” Does DeBrusk think that progress will be made?

“I’m always hopeful,” DeBrusk remarked. “I think it would be quite gloomy if I didn’t have hope that I would still be here. It’s one of those tasks that I really hope is completed. You know, there’s a reason I have an agency. It goes without saying that I have spent my entire career at this company. I think I understand my place in this lineup. With the guys in this room and the city as a whole, I feel like I know where I am and where the highs and lows are.”

From the aforementioned comments, it appears that DeBrusk wants to remain here. How much do the Bruins value DeBrusk is the actual question. The first-round selection in 2015 has experienced a turbulent time in Boston. Against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the first round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he scored the game-winning goal as a rookie. In 2021–2022, Bruce Cassidy’s last season as head coach, he was also a healthy scratch at times and even asked to be traded. DeBrusk was retained by the Bruins and subsequently withdrew his request. Since then, things have gone smoothly for both parties.

Last season, DeBrusk tied a career high with 27 goals. Under head coach Jim Montgomery, he has also improved significantly as a two-way player. Among the Bruins‘ forwards this season, DeBrusk is third with 1:52 of shorthanded ice time per game. He spent an average of just 0:38 on the penalty kill per game two years prior. When he isn’t reliably scoring goals, DeBrusk makes contributions in various capacities. Earlier in his career, it was actually not the case.

However, he can still occasionally be a difficult player, and a lot of that is due to his inconsistent play. DeBrusk is a goal scorer who can be hot or cool. For instance, in the first 16 games of the season, he managed just one goal. In the first eleven games in December, he failed to score. However, in his last 16 games following the end of the holiday break on December 26, he has totaled 14 points (eight goals, six assists).

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