Brighton, Massachusetts — If you told Jake DeBrusk in September that he would be entering the end of the 2023-24 season without a new contract, he wouldn’t have believed you, but he’s ready to come in with no restrictions.27 That’s where things stand for the year-old forward. He will be a free agent after seven seasons with the Boston Bruins.
Despite the uncertainty about his future, he hopes to remain with the team that selected him with the 14th pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.
“We understand that business is business,” DeBrusk said Sunday. “I’ve been here for a while. I’ve seen you before.” [a lot] A lot of my dealings are with men and other people, so I think I have some understanding of their position and how they usually act. So I wasn’t necessarily completely surprised, but I expected it to be done and things would work out much faster. But that being said, this year has been really stressful for me and it’s taken me a lot of time, so to be honest, I’m just looking forward to getting away from this. ”
It’s been an up-and-down tenure for DeBrusk, who has played his entire NHL career with the Bruins. He is 22 years old and played a supporting role in Boston’s run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019, when they lost seven straight to the St. Louis Blues. Just over two years later, he requested a trade, but rescinded it at the beginning of the 2022-23 season. He set NHL career highs in goals (27) and points (50) in 64 games with the Bruins, and broke NHL records with 65 wins and 135 points.
DeBrusk’s production was limited during the final season of his two-year, $8 million contract. He recorded 40 points (19 goals, 21 assists) in 80 games, a significant step back in points per game (0.50 points) compared to last season (0.78 points), but in the Stanley Cup Playoffs he scored 5 goals and 11 points per game. He led the Bruins in scoring. In 13 games.
After the Bruins lost 2-1 to the Florida Panthers in Game 6 of the second round of the Eastern Conference, DeBrusk revealed that he played the second half of the season with a broken hand that didn’t heal until right before the playoffs. .
“Personally, I think we did pretty well in the playoffs,” DeBrusk said. ”[I] I wish I could have done more, but having said that, I think I probably did what I wanted to do. ”
As of Sunday, DeBrusk said he hasn’t spoken with Bruins management about his future in Boston, but he understands his value and market value. It remains to be seen whether he’ll get another chance at a Stanley Cup in Boston. For now, he’s keeping the door open until it closes.
“I think it’s something that creeps up on you,” DeBrusk said. “that [stinks], it’s not a good feeling to think about. …I still have hope that everything will be fine. ”
