Bruins sign Jake DeBrusk to 2-year contract

The Bruins’ last remaining restricted free agent this winter is now officially back in the fold, as the team announced Monday evening that it has signed forward Jake DeBrusk to a two-year contract with an annual cap hit of $3.675 million. 

DeBrusk, 24, has established himself as a regular on David Krejci's line since arriving in the NHL ranks back in 2017, ranking fourth on the club in goals (62), fourth in power play goals (17), tied for third in game-winning goals (14), sixth in points (120) and eighth in assists (58) over the past three seasons. 

The 2019-20 campaign saw DeBrusk plagued with a usual bouts of inconsistency that have hampered him at times up with the big club, closing out the year with 19 goals and 35 total points over 65 games. He only tallied one point over his final 14 regular-season games ahead of the COVID-19 stoppage before lighting the lamp four times over 13 playoff games up in the Toronto bubble.

With DeBrusk now back in the fold, Boston has a little under $3 million remaining in available cap space this offseason, per CapFriendly.

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As we noted in our piece predicting DeBrusk's next contract back in October, a "bridge contract" was always going to be the most likely route that both team and player were going to take this offseason — especially given the current state of the market across the NHL.

For as much as his inconsistent play can draw the ire of fans, DeBrusk is still a proven weapon in Boston's forward corps who has averaged 20 goals over his first three seasons up in the pro ranks. With Boston adding a bit more proven firepower on the wing in Craig Smith and Ondrej Kase, expect DeBrusk to continue to be a steady 20+ goal scorer in Boston's lineup, if not potentially flirt with 30 goals as he continues to round out his overall game.

For just $3.675 million per year, that's a pretty great price for the Bruins, who still have some cap space left over to either sign Zdeno Chara or explore other free-agent options, with this stagnant market lowering the asking price of a number of still impactful skaters still available.

In a perfect scenario, DeBrusk and his representatives were likely looking for a more significant pay bump, but given the current fiscal squeeze affecting the league, such a scenario was not possible. By signing a bridge deal, DeBrusk can continue to try and raise his stock over the next two years — setting himself for another chance to cash in as a 25-year-old winger in the fall of 2022 (a time in which revenues and the overall market across the league will hopefully be much more stable).

It may not be the perfect agreement, but this deal should ultimately satisfy both parties in what is a tumultuous time across the NHL, to say the least.