Jessica Belmosto

With the expansion draft behind us, now is a great time to take a look at Jake DeBrusk. The locker room character has had quite the interesting career. From a stellar playoff performance his rookie year to not having a permanent spot in the Boston Bruins lineup. How did this 1st round pick regress in what seems to be overnight? 

Jake DeBrusk’s first two seasons in Boston were the best hockey he played. From a stellar regular season to a nearly record breaking postseason, he was paving his way to becoming a solid top six winger. DeBrusk found himself on David Krejci’s line. Finding yourself on that line as a rookie offers a lot of room to grow under one of the most decorated players in franchise history. 

DeBrusk had himself a 16 goal season, finishing the regular season with 43 points. Not too shabby for a rookie.

 His postseason performance gave the Bruins the push they needed. In 12 games he had 6 goals. The record of most goals in their rookie postseason belongs to Dino Ciccarelli with 14 goals in 19 games. 

The sophomore slump was nowhere to be found for DeBrusk. He notched 27 goals in the 2018-19 season. The man was untouchable and was solidifying himself as Krejci’s left winger. There wasn’t much reason to shift him through the lineup or play him off wing. The combination of veteran presence and the youth movement led them to their Stanley Cup Playoff run. 

It would be hard to emulate the kind of success DeBrusk saw a year prior. If you look back at that playoff run, you’d recall that DeBrusk suffered a concussion in the first round. Game 2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs was a rather physical game. DeBrusk fell victim to a cross check to the face from Nazem Kaddish. It was apparent that DeBrusk was not all there through the remainder of the playoffs. Through 24 games he had 4 goals, ending the cup run with 11 points. 

The pressure is on during a contract year. This is your final chance to prove that you’re worth the denomination your agent brings to the table. Unfortunately, Jake wasn’t able to capitalize while under the microscope. There was a significant drop off in his production. He was just shy of 20 goals with 19 in the 2019-20 season. While that’s not a horrible number during a season that came to an abrupt halt due to a global pandemic, it’s not the DeBrusk the Bruins organization knew he could be. 

He found himself floating through the lineup this past season. His spot on Krejci’s left wing was filled by Taylor Hall. He found himself being the odd man out time and time again. You could say that mismanagement played a role in his decline as well as Bruce Cassidy had him playing off his wing on multiple occasions. While he shifted through the lineup, DeBrusk tallied just 4 goals and 9 assists through 41 games. 

It became evidently clear that Jake DeBrusk’s time in Boston was coming to an end. Fans wanted him left exposed in the Seattle expansion draft so the organization would be rid of him. Others spent the summer packaging him up for a Jake Eichel trade.

Regardless of your personal feelings toward him, you have to admit that he’s more than likely hit his ceiling in Boston. That’s not to say he’s a bad player or knock his ability. In fact, I believe he could elevate a lineup. He’s shown his ability on special teams and there are teams like the Calgary Flames or Winnipeg Jets who would love to have him as a key component. 

Bottom line is that Jake DeBrusk’s time in Boston has more than likely come to an end. He’s become the new Anders Bjork in terms of being the odd man out. Let him succeed in another organization. Maybe it’s his turn to come home to western Canada.