In this latest edition of Boston Bruins News & Rumors, center Tomas Nosek has found his new home in free agency. Meanwhile, winger Jake DeBrusk could be emerging as a hot commodity around the league. Let’s discuss this and more in this latest Bruins News & Rumors column.
Nosek Signs Cheap One-Year Deal With Devils
Just under three weeks into free agency, Nosek has finally found his team for the 2023-24 season, signing a one-year, $1 million contract with the New Jersey Devils. He will be joining former Bruins Dougie Hamilton, Erik Haula, Curtis Lazar, and Colin Miller in New Jersey as they aim to build off of their excellent 2022-23 campaign.
Nosek should serve as a solid fourth-liner for the Devils, just like he was for the Bruins. Although he does not make the biggest impact offensively, his strong defensive play and excellent faceoff ability made him a key part of the Bruins’ lineup. At $1 million, he will be a nice bargain player for the Devils.
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In 66 regular-season games last season with the Bruins, Nosek posted seven goals, 11 assists, and a plus-9 rating. He also recorded two assists during the Bruins’ seven-game series against the Florida Panthers.
DeBrusk Expected to Garner Attention
Per Boston Hockey Now’s Jimmy Murphy, an NHL pro scout told him that “everyone is going to be watching DeBrusk” this season. Murphy also noted that the scout informed him that plenty of other NHL scouts have DeBrusk listed as a possible 2024 free-agent target or even trade deadline target, depending on how Boston’s season goes down.
DeBrusk is entering the final season of his contract and will have the opportunity to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) next summer. When noting that he is coming off the best season of his career, he naturally is due for a raise. The real question will be if Bruins general manager (GM) Don Sweeney sees him as a part of the club’s plans past this upcoming season. If he does, perhaps extension talks should begin as soon as possible.
In 64 games last season for the Bruins, DeBrusk had 27 goals to go along with a career-high 50 points. He also followed that up with four goals and six points in seven playoff games. Now it will be intriguing to see how he follows that up during his contract year.
Former Bruin Nate Thompson Retires
A veteran forward has called it quits, as Nate Thompson has announced his retirement from the NHL. The 38-year-old was selected by the Bruins with the 183rd-overall pick of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Although he only played four NHL games with the Bruins during the 2006-07 season, he went on to have a long career as an effective fourth-line and journeyman forward due to his solid defensive play and physicality.
During a recent appearance on the “Empty Netters” podcast, Thompson also dove into the Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning’s 2011 series. He noted that Game 7 was “probably one of the hardest games he ever played” and that it was like “an absolute war.” He also called David Krejci’s feed that set up Nathan Horton’s eventual game-winning goal a “sick pass” and noted that Krejci made passes like that often during their days together with the Providence Bruins. He also went on to describe playing through the series with a broken foot after blocking a Zdeno Chara slapshot.
Nevertheless, Thompson put together a lengthy career as a hard-nosed bottom-six forward, and it’s difficult not to respect it. In 844 career games split between the Bruins, New York Islanders, Lightning, Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, Winnipeg Jets, and Philadelphia Flyers, Thompson had 65 goals, 99 assists, and 164 points.
