The Boston Bruins lost several players through free agency this offseason, but Jake DeBrusk is the most notable of the bunch. The 2015 first-round pick was a crucial part of the Bruins' top six, and the Original Six club could have trouble replacing his offensive production next season.
DeBrusk, 27, struggled with consistency during this past regular season but was still one of Boston's top offensive contributors. In 80 regular-season games, he posted 19 goals and 40 points. While it was a bit of a down year for DeBrusk's standards, he made up for it big time in the playoffs, leading the team with five goals and 11 points in 13 games.
There is no question that DeBrusk is an incredibly skilled and impactful player when he is performing at his best. We especially saw it both during this past postseason and the 2022-23 season. In 2022-23, DeBrusk had 27 goals, 50 points, and a plus-26 rating in just 64 games.
It is fair to wonder if DeBrusk can get back to that kind of production with the Canucks. He will surely have a top-six role in Vancouver, which means he will have the fantastic opportunity of playing either J.T. Miller or Elias Pettersson. Both players are known for distributing the puck well, and that should benefit a sniper like DeBrusk.
Jake DeBrusk
The Bruins' failure to bring in a top-six winger to replace DeBrusk could also make things tougher for them in 2024-25. Youngsters like Fabian Lysell and Georgii Merkulov will be competing for spots, but expecting them to be as impactful as DeBrusk as rookies is a very tall ask.
From here, we must wait and see how DeBrusk performs in Vancouver. If he gets back to being a 25-goal scorer and consistently hits at least 50 points, the Bruins will undoubtedly miss him.
