This past summer, the Bruins doled out close to $80 million in total contracts — retaining key deadline pickups in Taylor Hall and Mike Reilly, bringing in a potential No. 1 option in net in Linus Ullmark and bolstering depth in the bottom-six and D corps with signings like Nick Foligno, Erik Haula, Derek Forbort and Tomas Nosek.
Such a spending splurge was to be expected for a Bruins team that desperately needed to account for the loss of production following David Krejci’s departure and Tuukka Rask’s murky future — as well as revamp significant segments of an NHL lineup that found itself on the ropes far too often last season.
And while newcomers like Haula, Foligno and Nosek should all play pivotal roles in terms of giving Boston’s bottom-six corps a bit more offensive bite (and curtail the amount of time spent treading water in the D zone), the true determinant on whether or not the lower depths of Boston’s forward corps is due for a rebound might fall on the shoulders of a familiar face at left wing.
Sure, Haula should inject some speed down the middle. And Foligno’s defensive impact and forechecking ability should complement whatever line he’s penciled into. But if Boston wants to start landing punches in the O-zone when the usual suspects like Bergeron, Marchand, Pastrnak and Hall are on the bench, it’s going to need Jake DeBrusk to start lighting the lamp as the club’s de-facto 3LW.
Had this been a few years ago, Bruins fans would likely be giddy at the prospect of DeBrusk — who nearly tallied 30 goals in a top-six role at just 22 years old — bumped down the depth chart due to Hall’s arrival and cashing in on chances on the third line.
But a lot has happened between then and now.
Once penciled in as a key cog on Boston’s next wave of talent, DeBrusk found himself often mired in no-man’s land last season — struggling to gain any sort of traction in a year where the usually affable winger trudged through prolonged slumps and little in terms of adequate avenues to disconnect from his on-ice woes.
It took him until March 11 to tally his first 5v5 goal of the season. Just a few days later, he was diagnosed with COVID — leading to a two-week quarantine in his apartment. He did not return to the ice until April 5.
DeBrusk’s numbers bottomed out — with the forward going from 27 goals over 68 games in 2018-19 to just five tallies in 41 contests last season. Beyond the loss in baseline production, the eye test didn’t do DeBrusk any favors, with the forward looking lost at times while searching in vain to impact the game in some manner.
(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.)
As such, DeBrusk regularly drew the ire of Boston’s bench boss last year, leading to further demotions before eventually getting scratched from the lineup entirely. Simply put, it was a terrible, no-good, very bad year for DeBrusk. During the subsequent unsteady summer, the writing seemed to be on the wall that a change of scenery was the proper course for all parties to take.
Such a break didn't come to pass, however. Instead, the Bruins are placing their hopes that a return to form is in the cards for DeBrusk — who they plan to keep at his usual spot at left wing this season. But beyond just the hope that a new season represents a clean slate for DeBrusk, Bruce Cassidy acknowledged that both player and coach needed to adequately bridge a gap in their communication this offseason — and thaw some of the icy sentiment that had formed over the past year.
"We had a good talk about some of the things that didn't allow him to be at the top of his game away from the rink," Cassidy said of his offseason discussion with DeBrusk. "Some people, with the COVID protocols, affects people differently — what they can and can't do. Jake was one of those guys that being by himself was a little tougher on him. So we discussed some of those things and how we could help as a staff and how it was probably on both of us to reach out a little more.
"In today's game, with today's athlete, there has to be a little more of that. And so I think we both held ourselves accountable in that regard. “[We’ll] open the lines of communication better and that may bleed into the on-ice performance and that’ll take care of itself.
DeBrusk may not have Krejci to lean on when it comes to generating offense, but it's not a stretch to assume that the winger should rebound in some way from the dreadful numbers he put up last season. Is he a 30-goal scorer? Likely not, especially on a third-line role. But if he can gel next to a pivot like Haula or Jack Studnicka, pot 15-20 goals and provide some secondary scoring outside of the top-six unit? The B's will certainly take it.
With Boston's roster fully vaccinated, one has to think that the easing of off-ice restrictions and other protocols should do wonders for social butterflies like DeBrusk — with the expected ups and downs that all athletes go through over the span of a season now able to be assuaged with time spent with teammates away from the rink and the game of hockey.
Not having those outlets available for players was an overlooked consequence of the COVID-imposed restrictions brought upon over the last few years — offering hope that a return to (some degree of) normalcy could signal a bounce-back campaign for a number of athletes that were left rudderless over the last few seasons. As we've seen in the past, a happy DeBrusk often leads to a happy Bruins team — with the winger (who's still just 24 years old) still capable of righting the ship and excelling as a proven even-strength scorer.
Still, even though fences seem to be mended between team and player, it takes two to tango — and Cassidy will be counting on DeBrusk to ensure that last season was just a dreadful outlier and not a sustained slide.
"At the end of the day, the message is the same — how he can help the Bruins win. That's what we ask of every player," Cassidy said of his message to DeBrusk. "So I won't share any more than that, but those are a couple areas we touched on — both off the ice and then again on the ice, the expectation. Jake looks like he's ready to go — but until we get on the ice and get going, it looks like he'll have some new linemates. Again, that may change, but right now with Haula being here and Krech gone — he played with David a lot. ... He'll have to find some chemistry if it ends up being Haula in the middle. But at the end of the day, I think the message stays the same — be the best version of yourself and I think your ice time will take care of itself and you'll compliment anybody you're playing with."