It’s no secret that Boston Bruins’ forward Jake DeBrusk has had a down season just one year after putting up the best offensive point production of his career. DeBrusk would record his highest goals-per-game total in a season, scoring 27 goals while also reaching the 50-point mark for the first time in his career in just 64 games last season. This season, however, DeBrusk has scored just 16 goals and 34 points through 66 games and has seemingly felt the retirement of Patrice Bergeron more than anybody.
This downturn in production led many to believe that, in congruence with an expiring contract, DeBrusk may find himself on a new team come the Trade Deadline. Ultimately, the Bruins opted to keep DeBrusk and allow him the opportunity to remain on one of the NHL’s best teams, a team that is just one point out of first place in the league standings, and compete for a Stanely Cup with the team that drafted him.
This, unsurprisingly, was a relief to DeBrusk who has grown to love his time in Boston.
“I think it’s always a big one. It’s a relief for everyone in the room based on certain situations and how much you’re on Twitter,” said DeBrusk on Monday following the Trade Deadline. “I’m still here. It’s definitely a sense of relief. You don’t know until 4 or 4:30. But I’m happy to be here. I’m just excited to move forward with the playoff push here and so forth.”
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DeBrusk has always been a streaky player, but his play seemed more consistent with Bergeron down the middle last season. It’s not entirely unsurprising to see DeBrusk’s play falter without such a steady force next to him, but it’s still disappointing to see how far the point production has fallen; especially in a contract year. For reference, DeBrusk would score just one goal and two points in 12 games in February. Still, since the start of March, DeBrusk has appeared to find another gear and has scored three goals and seven points in seven games, including the overtime game-winning goal against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday in a rivalry game.
Teams would always rather see a player struggle in the first half of the season than the second half, especially if those struggles continue come playoff time. The hope is that DeBrusk has turned a page on the season and will remain locked in this postseason.
DeBrusk Should Remain With the Bruins
It’s hard to find a perfect player in the NHL. It’s even harder to find a player who consistently produces offensively regardless of the circumstances around them. Still, DeBrusk’s point fall-off was never due to a lack of effort and his presence in the locker room has been a benefit, rather than a hindrance. At 27 years old and in his seventh season with the team, DeBrusk has become a leader on the Bruins, and his attitude has never wavered regardless of the on-ice results.
No stranger to criticism, DeBrusk has been a positive figure to players around him who may not be familiar with the same type of critique.
On the ice, the way DeBrusk has played as of late, he’s shown exactly why the team is better with him than without him. Homegrown talent who are known commodities and can score upwards of 25 goals don’t come around every day and DeBrusk has shown that he’s capable of reaching that mark, having done so on three separate occasions. Deciding his future on one down season would be short-sighted, though it must be considered in any and all contract negotiations; still, there will be interest around the league for a player of DeBrusk’s caliber and the Bruins must operate with that in mind.
The upside DeBrusk offers is greater than the negatives some like to attribute to him and though his long-term future with the Bruins may be up in the air, he remains committed to making the team better. DeBrusk has made it clear that he wants to remain in Boston for the long haul and it would be surprising to see general manager Don Sweeney have a different opinion. The specifics of contract details can always get in the way, despite mutual interest, but as it stands, both sides should have similar intentions of getting a deal done.
