In an article today by Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald, he discusses the pressing matter of a Jake DeBrusk extension with the Boston Bruins. Moving forward, Conroy asserts that if the Bruins cannot extend DeBrusk at a reasonable price, he could be the central piece in a trade bringing in some top-level talent to Boston.
After requesting a trade from the Bruins only two seasons ago, DeBrusk has rebounded nicely in the last several years, scoring 39 goals and 75 points in 111 games over the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. Even though most teams would gladly accept a player of DeBrusk’s talent, his status as a pending unrestricted free agent this upcoming offseason would make him an odd trade chip for most selling teams. Suppose DeBrusk is not willing to discuss an extension until after the season has concluded; in that case, Boston will be hard-pressed to find a team willing to acquire him, unless the Bruins are comfortable selling him for additional trade assets in a separate deal.
- Sticking in Boston, Nick Goss of NBC Sports Boston wrote an article highlighting two of the Bruins’ biggest needs leading into the deadline: a middle-six forward and a physical veteran defenseman. Without a draft pick until the fourth round of the 2024 NHL Draft, it’s going to be incredibly difficult for Boston to procure said talent, so they may have to shop at the bottom-tier options at this year’s deadline. With an incredibly saturated roster, the Bruins may able to pry pending unrestricted free agents Victor Olofsson and Erik Johnson from the Buffalo Sabres by the deadline for a lower price comparatively.