Boston Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk is the club's best unrestricted free agent heading into the summer. The 2015 first-round pick has been a valuable part of the Bruins' roster for several seasons, and it will sting immensely if they lose him this offseason.
While DeBrusk struggled with consistency this regular season, he revealed after the playoffs that he played through a left broken hand for the last few months of the season. However, when fully healed during the playoffs, he regained his form, posting a team-leading five goals and 11 points in 13 games.
While speaking to reporters, including The Hockey News' Belle Fraser, on Wednesday, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney made it clear that he wants to keep DeBrusk in Boston. However, his update regarding talks with DeBrusk was undoubtedly concerning.
"We took an aggressive position with Jake.. Do I see a path? Yes, I see a path. I told him that at our exits. I would prefer to have Jake DeBrusk on our team, but there may be some opportunities he explores otherwise."
Given Sweeney's update, DeBrusk's future in Boston is clearly far from set in stone. The skilled winger is weighing his options, and the Bruins may need to up their offer to keep him around.
From here, we must keep an incredibly close eye on DeBrusk. If they lose No. 74, replacing him will not be easy.
