The Boston Bruins are going to miss having this forward around.
The Boston Bruins had a busy offseason. They notably signed two big-name free agents in Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov. They also brought in players like Max Jones, Joonas Korpisalo, Mark Kastelic, and Riley Tufte.
While the Bruins made many additions this summer, they also lost several players from their 2023-24 roster. One of the most notable departures for Boston was Jake DeBrusk, and there is no question that they will miss him in their lineup.
DeBrusk, 27, landed a seven-year, $38.5 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks at the start of free agency. The 2015 first-round pick is now expected to be a crucial part of the Canucks' top six and core over for a long time because of it. When noting that DeBrusk was one of Boston's most important offensive contributors for multiple years, his absence will be noticed during this campaign.
Although DeBrusk struggled with consistency this past season, he still finished the year with a solid 19 goals and 40 points in 80 games. In addition, his play noticeably improved during the playoffs, as he had a team-leading five goals and 11 points in 13 games.
Jake DeBrusk
© Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
The Bruins also did not add a proven top-six winger to replace DeBrusk this offseason. Because of this, they will need to replace him in their top six internally, with players like Fabian Lysell, Trent Frederic, and Morgan Geekie being the top candidates. This makes the loss of DeBrusk even more noticeable for the B's, as they have clear questions on the wing.
We will now need to wait and see how the Bruins respond to no longer having DeBrusk in their top six. Furthermore, it will be fascinating to see how much of an impact he makes in Vancouver. The fit looks good on paper for him.
