Bruins News & Rumors: DeBrusk, Pastrnak, Montgomery & More.
In the latest edition of Boston Bruins News & Rumors, the Black and Gold are dealing with injuries going into the All-Star Break, and Jake DeBrusk discusses his future in Boston. Boston heads into the All-Star Break on top of the Atlantic Division, and two players and a coach head to Toronto for the weekend. A Bruins Stanley Cup champion is inducted into an opponent’s Hall of Fame.
Bruins Lose Three Players to Injury
Before the final game of the Bruins’ All-Star Break, head coach Jim Montgomery stated that Boston would be without three players against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center. Jake DeBrusk, Matthew Poitras, and Derek Forbort were ruled out due to injuries.
DeBrusk has been one of the Bruins’ most productive forwards, with three goals and five points in his last five games, including a shorthanded goal against the Winnipeg Jets on January 22. Poitras has gone pointless in his last five games, but the more troubling injury is to Forbort, who returned to the lineup after suffering a lower-body injury against the Columbus Blue Jackets in December.
Patrick Brown was called up from the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the Flyers’ game and centered the fourth line between Oskar Steen and Jakub Lauko. In Forbort’s place, Kevin Shattenkirk slotted on the third pair with Parker Wortherspoon. If there was a time in the schedule for injuries to pop up, right before the 10-day break in the schedule is certainly a good time.
DeBrusk Has Unfinished Business in Boston
DeBrusk discussed his upcoming pending free agency after this season and in an interview with Jimmy Murphy from Boston Hockey Now, he discussed his future wearing the Black and Gold and his desire to win a Stanley Cup for the franchise that drafted him.
“Yes, of course,” DeBrusk replied. “That’s what I’ve been saying since – I believe the first time I was asked was in the summer – but yes. This is all I know, and I grew up here, so I’ve clearly evolved and matured in various ways. I want to win here. We were one game away in 2019, and I want to win the Cup here in Boston. So that is my entire concentration.”
The 14th pick of the 2015 Entry Draft is in the final year of a two-year, $8 million contract he signed right before the trade deadline in 2022 that carries an average annual value (AAV) of $4 million. What a new contract with the Bruins would look like remains to be seen as general manager (GM) Don Sweeney will have a lot of potential cap space this upcoming offseason.
Montgomery, Pastrnak, Swayman Heading to Toronto
Following their triumph in Philadelphia, the Bruins headed their own ways for their All-Star Break, but three members of the team will travel to Toronto for the festivities, which begin Friday night (Feb. 2) with the skills competition and continue through Saturday (Feb. 3).
David Pastrnak will attend his fourth All-Star Game, while goalkeeper Jeremy Swayman will make his first trip. Montgomery will also be coaching for the second consecutive season. Before the game against the Flyers, the Bruins’ second-year head coach discussed attending the All-Star Game as a coach.
“I go there, I’m a fan,” Montgomery said. “It’s an incredible experience.”
Former Bruin Mark Recchi Honored Before Flyers Game
Mark Recchi retired with the Bruins after spending 10 of his 22 NHL seasons with the Flyers, and the 2011 Stanley Cup champion was inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame on January 27. In the 2011 postseason, he scored five goals and nine points in 25 games for the Black and Gold, including three goals and four assists in the Stanley Cup Final against the Vancouver Canucks.
Bruins Post All-Star Break Homestand
Following the break, the Bruins will return home for a seven-game homestand, five of which will be against Western Conference opponents. The Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, Seattle Kraken, Los Angeles Kings, and Dallas Stars will visit the TD Garden. The Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning will also be joining.
The Bruins won seven of their last eight games to approach the All-Star rest with a lot of momentum, and some players appeared to be able to use the rest. With injuries starting to pile up again, it comes at the right time.
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