Considering that Jake DeBrusk’s trade request from the Bruins has been a standing declaration since this past summer, Monday morning’s press release surely raised the eyebrows of many B’s fans.
The Bruins announced on Monday morning that they have signed DeBrusk to a two-year contract extension — representing an annual cap hit of $4 million. The 25-year-old winger was in line for a pay day this summer as a restricted free agent after inking a two-year, $7.35 million bridge deal back in November 2020.
DeBrusk, now in his fifth full season in a Bruins sweater, will become an unrestricted free agent when his new contract expires at the end of the 2023-24 season.
BSJ Analysis
So, in the 11th hour, has DeBrusk suddenly had a change of heart? I don’t think so.
While you could craft the narrative that an engaged and revitalized DeBrusk in the top-six unit could stand as its own sort of deadline pick-up for a Bruins team in search of more scoring pop, the disgruntled winger’s trade request is reportedly still in place.
More than anything, crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s on this new deal should help facilitate a trade ahead of the 3 p.m. deadline — with a club interested in acquiring a potential top-six winger in DeBrusk now guaranteed cost certainty, instead of having to engage in a potentially contentious contract negotiation this summer.
DeBrusk’s new contract also wipes out his $4.4 million qualifying offer that the Bruins (or whichever team was going to acquire him) would have to issue in order for him to keep his RFA status. Even though qualifying offers are used to ensure that an asset doesn’t hit unrestricted free agency early, some of those payout floors can scare away clubs.
Brock Boeser, a shot-first winger who should offer some value as a trade chip this season, stands as a great example of how a qualifying offer can make a team think twice about acquiring a potentially useful asset.
But if teams are fretting about that contract snag with DeBrusk and a $4.4 million qualifying offer, I doubt the Bruins would be thrilled with taking on Boeser — who is due a qualifying offer for $7.5 MILLION this offseason.
And even if the Bruins were to extend that qualifying offer (which would make sense in order to avoid Boeser becoming a UFA) and try to sign Boeser long-term to avoid that $7.5 million cap hit, he's still not going to come cheap.
Boeser may not be worth the cap hit saddled on that qualifying offer, but after inking a bridge deal back in 2019 that accounts for a $5.875 million hit per year, he’s likely going to command at least $6 million annually on whatever his next deal is.
And again, if he’s playing hardball, Boeser very well could just sign that qualifying offer, count $7.5 million against the cap and try to cash in next year.
So with DeBrusk getting that $4.4 million qualifying offer wiped out and his contract guaranteed at a reasonable cap hit over the next two seasons, perhaps this deal is the necessary springboard that grants DeBrusk his fresh start elsewhere — and gives Boston a quality player in return.
We'll get our answer in the next couple of hours.