Why Jake DeBrusk might be the most consequential player in the Bruins’ top-6 unit this season

On paper, the 2022-23 Bruins should boast one of the most imposing top-six forward corps in the NHL. 

Patrice Bergeron, back for a 19th season, put forth arguably his best defensive season in 2021-22 at 36 years old. 

David Pastrnak stands as one of the NHL’s elite goalscorers, having averaged close to 36 goals per season over the last six years. 

After getting slotted in on a line with Pastrnak last season, Taylor Hall was a playmaking force for the B’s — posting 47 points over his last 55 games.

And despite spending last season overseas in the Czech Republic, David Krejci’s playmaking talents shouldn’t have eroded all that much — especially if he’s going to be earning significant minutes next to both Hall and Pastrnak this season. 

And even though he’s set to miss at least the first six or seven weeks of the regular season, Brad Marchand should continue to serve as Boston’s on-ice adrenaline shot — capable of shifting the momentum of a hockey contest via a heavy hit, shorthanded strike or a highlight-reel sequence in the offensive zone.

And yet, among all of that established star talent that Boston already boasts at the top of its depth chart, the one player who might determine if the B’s top-six unit can elevate itself from a strong grouping into an outright matchup nightmare might be Jake DeBrusk — the 25-year-old forward who, at long last, might be finally settled into his role with this club.

To make a long story short, the 2021-22 season was … interesting … for DeBrusk.

After a lackluster start to the new campaign that featured some of the flaws that had plagued him in recent years (namely a lack of consistency with tangible offensive production), DeBrusk’s representatives made a standing trade request public — making for a pretty awkward situation for all parties involved, especially after Boston ultimately was unable to deal him at the deadline.

Still, to DeBrusk’s credit, he made the most of his opportunity after Bruce Cassidy slotted him up into Boston’s top line next to Bergeron and Marchand, even after his request for a fresh start was not facilitated. Despite getting pushed over to right wing, DeBrusk was an effective scorer in his new role last spring, scoring 10 goals and posting 16 total points over his last 20 games en route to 25 goals on the year — the third-most on the B’s roster. 

And while that strong production — coupled with both a new two-year contract at market value ($4 million cap hit) and an effective postseason (two goals, four points in seven games) — might have mapped out a scenario in which DeBrusk’s soaring stock could have led to an offseason trade, such a move did not come to pass.

Rather, DeBrusk eventually signaled to the Bruins in July that he had rescinded his trade request, keeping him in place with Boston through at least the 2023-24 season. 

"We’re very happy that Jake has turned a corner in how he feels about the Boston Bruins and wants to be with us,” Don Sweeney said last month. “He had a hell of a second part of the year. He deserves a lot of credit for the production he put forth. 

“He’s looking forward to being back. If (there’s) opportunities to improve the team, and Jake knows that as well, I’ll have to continue to look at. But we’re happy that he’s in a good place.”

Of course, while you could map out a scenario in which DeBrusk’s about-face was spurred by those established top-six minutes or simply realizing the grass isn’t always greener with a new team — we can read between the lines here.

And with Cassidy — who had a rather prickly relationship with DeBrusk — now off to Vegas, it isn’t necessarily much of a surprise that the B’s forward is back on board now that a new bench boss is in place in Jim Montgomery. 

“I spoke to him after it was rescinded, so I can’t take credit for it,” Montgomery said of DeBrusk during his first meeting with the media. “Can’t say it’s because of me. I had a really good conversation with him. He’s really excited. He loves it here in the city of Boston. He loves Bruins fans. That’s what he kept talking about, the opportunity to do something good this year.”

Whatever your stance might be in terms of DeBrusk, that trade request and his relationship with Cassidy, you can’t overlook the fact that a re-energized DeBrusk can only help a team fixated on a win-now mentality — especially if he can build off of last season. 

For as much as DeBrusk’s NHL career has often been marked with peaks and valleys as far as his scoring is concerned, his knack for driving to the net and north-south game paints the picture of a player who is routinely generating good looks at 5v5 play.

Last season, among the 600 NHLers that logged at least 500 minutes of 5v5 ice time, DeBrusk ranked 79th overall in individual expected goals per 60 minutes at 0.86 — a testament to his ability to generate high-danger looks. That expected goal rate was even higher than some high-octane scorers like Johnny Gaudreau (0.84), Joe Pavelski (0.83), Kyle Connor (0.83), Nikita Kucherov (0.80), Tomas Hertl (0.75) and J.T. Miller (0.75).

Of course, just because someone hangs around Grade-A ice and creates scoring chances, that doesn't guarantee that those looks will end with pucks sailing into twine. But last season, DeBrusk’s extended stretch of action with two proven playmakers in Bergeron and Marchand paid immediate dividends — with Boston outsourcing teams, 17-8, in their 280:52 of 5v5 ice time together. 

And even with Marchand out to start the season, keeping DeBrusk next to Bergeron at least keeps an established goal scorer in place on the top line — with Montgomery given the flexibility to either slot up Hall at LW or keep DeBrusk at RW or move DeBrusk into Marchand’s old spot for the time being and roll with the likes of Pavel Zacha, Craig Smith and others at 1RW.

Whatever the case may be, an effective DeBrusk should elevate Boston’s offensive capabilities, especially in an area of the game that Boston has usually labored in at 5v5 action. When Marchand is finally given the green light to return, DeBrusk’s ability to slot back over to the right side and potentially pot 25+ goals gives Boston another finisher — while also creating a positive domino effect in which the B’s can keep Krejci and Pastrnak together on the second line.

At this point, we know what to expect from the likes of Bergeron, Pastrnak, Hall and Co. 

DeBrusk, given his track record, is a bit more of a wild card, no doubt.

But as seen last season, the talent is there for the forward to light the lamp 30 or more times in a single season. And if a content DeBrusk is able to put it all together in 2022-23, this already stout forward grouping could turn into a juggernaut.