Jake DeBrusk shared a sentiment that most of us would all agree with during his end-of-season Zoom back on June 11th.
“This year was difficult,” the usually chipper forward remarked.
And that might be putting it lightly.
Like many of us, DeBrusk struggled with the challenges and isolation brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic — with the normally gregarious winger spending most of the last six-plus months confined to a hotel room or in his own apartment, with off-ice interactions with his teammates significantly curbed.
Considering the little solace DeBrusk found out on the ice, not having an outlet or avenue to get away from the game when his play was plummeting — be it a dinner with teammates or just a night out on the town — weighed heavily on both him and countless other players across the league.
But beyond just the social aspects of life in a COVID-impacted world, DeBrusk regularly found himself stopping and starting this year — missing five games in the early stretch of the season due to an upper-body injury.
Ultimately, it took him until March 11 to tally his first 5v5 goal of the season. Three games later, he tallied another goal — offering some hope that a patented DeBrusk heater was on the horizon. But DeBrusk did not play again until April 5 after getting diagnosed with COVID, spending close to two weeks in quarantine as a result.
It was a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad year for DeBrusk — an unsatisfying campaign only exacerbated by the fact that some of the unfortunate circumstances outside of DeBrusk’s control were not offset by stronger production on the ice.
Bumped out of his usual spot to David Krejci’s left as the season went along, DeBrusk regularly found himself on his weak side at right wing, with the presence of Nick Ritchie keeping him outside of his regular spot on the lineup. The demotion was unfortunately warranted, as DeBrusk only lit the lamp five times over 41 games — a disappointing stat line that falls far short of the promise he showcased in 2018-19 when he scored 27 goals in 68 games as a 22-year-old, top-six stalwart.
(When it comes to Wins Above Replacement - which factors in even-strength offense, even-strength defense, finishing, power-play metrics and penalties impact - DeBrusk's game has significantly fallen off since his breakout 2018-19 season.)
Put it all together — and you have a season that DeBrusk (and the Bruins) can’t wait to put in the rearview mirror.
“I need to revamp some stuff,” DeBrusk said. “There were a lot of factors that went into this year. Things that I could control and couldn't control. I dealt with a lot of negativity as well. It's one of those things that it's something you have to learn, as you sign up. I'm a big boy, I can handle that, just became a little bit of an easy target.
"My haters had a lot to say this year. It's one of those things where, like I said, just have to revamp some things with training and a different mindset. My mindset is an interesting place right now. Every year it's obviously different, disappointing obviously while hopes were high. I've disappointed myself, and my team.”
At this point, there’s no point in dwelling in the past for both player or team when it comes to DeBrusk’s struggles in 2021. But the question now looms — where exactly do both parties go from here?
Under contract through next season at a $3.675 million cap hit, DeBrusk could very well be in line for a rebound next season — a scenario that could be mapped out if he’s slotted back in at LW on a more regular basis in 2021-22. While the potential return of Taylor Hall could alleviate some of the woes that plagued Boston in the top-six when DeBrusk was in a rut, a return to form for DeBrusk will be crucial for Boston, especially if it wants to generate more scoring punch out of a third line that spent far too much time treading water last year.
But before said redemptive narrative can play out, it sure seems like there needs to some candid discussions between DeBrusk and Bruce Cassidy — especially after the B’s bench boss regularly took the young winger to task for unsatisfying returns on the ice.
Cassidy was cognizant of the fact that both him and a player that served as a conduit of criticism might need to bridge the gap when it comes to addressing the struggles of 2021 and working towards wiping the slate clean before camp opens back up in September.
“I think with Jake, there needs to be a little time, personally,” Cassidy said of speaking with DeBrusk following Boston’s season-ending loss to the Islanders on June 9th. “My conversations with Jake I think would have been too raw the day after. So, the players have some time to themselves. We’re going to sit down this week now that we’ve both digested and see if we can sort through a bit of the season and say, okay, let’s find some common ground on where you see yourself fitting into this lineup and where I feel you need to be better and see if we can sort through some of this stuff now that the season’s over.
“Sometimes, in seasons, players are just going to tell you what you want to hear at times. It’s up to me to dig a little deeper with him so we can get to the root of what’s going to make you the best player. Now, we’ve tried that, don’t get me wrong. Players have meetings with coaches, assistant coaches, etc. But you’re always onto the next game, so you can get through some of it, but maybe this will be a little bit of a longer process with Jake.”
In a perfect scenario, the Bruins and DeBrusk likely sort out what went wrong in 2021, and the winger — buoyed by a fresh start and a return to normalcy following two seasons decimated by COVID — gets back to being the 20-goal scorer that Boston knows he can be.
That certainly seems like a win-win for both parties, with Boston finally getting some even-strength production out of the bottom-six unit and DeBrusk setting himself up for a nice payday as a free agent next summer.
But it’s far from a given that such a sequence will play out.
“We feel he’s a good kid, and he’s been a good player for the Bruins,” Cassidy said. “He’s been inconsistent and so part of that falls on the player, obviously. It’s his job to get himself ready. Part of it falls on the staff to get the best out of him. I know you’ve heard that before, but that is what we’re going to try to dictate. Hopefully we can find some common ground on that, and at the end of the day get him to where he needs to be.”
If both Hall and Ritchie return, it remains to be seen just how productive DeBrusk will be if he continues to serve as the square peg in a round hole as the third-line RW. But beyond the internal competition, there stands the very real chance that either one of the Bruins or DeBrusk might view that a change of scenery is the best route moving forward.
That likely won’t mean that Boston would do something drastic — such as leaving DeBrusk exposed during the Seattle Kraken expansion draft. As polarizing as a player like DeBrusk can be, it is downright dreadful asset management to just let the Kraken take DeBrusk off their hands, especially given the tangible scenario in which DeBrusk rebounds and becomes an effective middle-six winger once more.
If Boston is scouring the trade market for blueline help, DeBrusk could definitely be an appealing piece for a team looking to add some scoring potential. But even then, the painful part of said transaction is that the Bruins are almost certainly not going to cash in on the value that DeBrusk once commanded.
While in years past you could have potentially swapped DeBrusk in a clean 1-for-1 deal for a legit, top-four option on defense, that was back when DeBrusk’s stock was that of an almost 30-goal scorer. The dip that followed over these last two years has made a major dent in DeBrusk’s standing as a top trade chip — so much so that he’d likely only be one piece of the puzzle in a deal revolving around a D-man target like a Mattias Ekholm or Noah Hanifin.
Add in the fact that it wouldn’t surprise anyone if DeBrusk returned to being a 20-25-goal scorer in a new environment, and you can see why Boston might be hesitant to move DeBrusk for the sake of just moving him.
Of course, teams regularly have to make due with the cards that they’re dealt, and even a return of lesser value — or swapping more in addition to DeBrusk — could end up being a better option than standing pat and simply planning for DeBrusk to rebound here in Boston.
With Boston likely stuck in a win-now window with this veteran core in place, they may not be in a position where they hope that last year was just an aberration for their frustrating, but gifted, young winger.
“I'm looking forward to this year,” DeBrusk said. “I've got to prove a lot of people wrong.”
Only time will tell if that potential comeback tour will take place in a black-and-gold sweater.
Stats and graphs via Natural Stat Trick, HockeyViz and JFreshHockey.