Jake DeBrusk summed it up best on Tuesday during his first meeting with the media since his long-standing trade request was rescinded.
“I mean, it's crazy what a year can do.”
At this point a year ago, DeBrusk was entering his fifth season in Boston in a precarious position — his spot in the lineup relegated down to the third line after the B’s inked Taylor Hall to a new contract during the summer.
In wake of a lost season in which the up-and-down winger only buried five goals over 41 games, it seemed as though DeBrusk was mired in a crossroads with the only NHL organization that he’s been a part of — prompting a trade request that remained in place for months.
Even after a resurgent 2021-22 campaign in which DeBrusk reclaimed a spot in the top-six unit and buried 25 goals, the 25-year-old winger remained mum when last pressed about his willingness for a fresh start elsewhere.
“I haven't thought about it,” DeBrusk said back in May during the team’s break-up day. “I mean, it was kind of nice to not think about that since the deadline. I've been spending lots of time with the boys here and it's been two days and I'll go back home with my family and kind of go over the year more thoroughly, I guess. And then kind of make my call from there. So that's kind of where I'm at.”
So what happened between now and then that convinced DeBrusk to finally call off his trade request and stick in Boston for at least the remainder of his newly-minted two-year extension?
“I think the biggest thing, honestly, was the support I got from the guys in this room last year,” DeBrusk said on Tuesday following captains' practice at Warrior Ice Arena. “I think that that was one thing where it felt like it was obviously a lot of stuff coming my way for obvious reasons. And the guys in this room really kind of kept it tight and kept it as one.
“And that's something that I've always loved about this team. I've always loved the boys and also the city and everything else. I mean, this is what I know, this is what I'm comfortable with, and it wasn't honestly that hard of a decision to make. In saying that, obviously building off last season.”
Of course, you don’t need to be the second coming of Rust Cohle or Sherlock Holmes to read between the lines and find the tangible correlation between DeBrusk’s contentment and the ousting of Bruce Cassidy — with the former routinely drawing the ire of Boston’s long-time bench boss.
When questioned about just how much weight Cassidy’s firing had on his decision to stay, DeBrusk remained vague, but didn’t necessarily deny the impact it had on his thought process.
“That's been speculated enough, I think,” DeBrusk said. “I think you guys know I see stuff. And obviously, that's an easy answer. But it's one of those things that we could talk and talk about it. I respect that you guys — your jobs are to ask those types of questions. And obviously, it's one of those things where it's kind of interesting.
“There are a lot of hot topics, or different things about the situation — even why I asked for a trade. But I am just looking forward to this year. I think I said that at the end of — I think it was against Montreal, that I was looking forward to not having to answer those questions anymore. It's one of those things that's in the past, and this whole summer has been focused on getting right and getting ready for this season. And that's kind of how I view that question.”
Regardless of one’s opinion of how DeBrusk navigated his trade request and his relationship with Cassidy (who gave his own candid thoughts about DeBrusk during a 1v1 interview with BSJ earlier this month), a motivated and content DeBrusk can only help a B’s team that, above all else, is looking to make the most of whatever contention window they can keep ajar in 2022-23.
Even though he’s only spoken with new B’s coach Jim Montgomery a few times over the summer, DeBrusk is looking forward to the tweaks to Boston’s system — especially given Montgomery’s emphasis on north-south hockey and quality over quantity in terms of shot selection.
A player like DeBrusk whose game revolves around driving into Grade-A ice in hopes of a rebound chance or tip should benefit in such a system.
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).
Add in the fact that DeBrusk appears primed to earn more minutes next to Patrice Bergeron (and eventually Brad Marchand), and it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if DeBrusk’s strong second half in 2022 (10 goals, 16 points over his final 20 games) isn’t much of an aberration.
Of course, the onus still falls on DeBrusk to not stray from the strengths of his game and maintain that 30-goal pace that he generated last spring. For all of the speed and O-zone capabilities that DeBrusk does possess, other promising campaigns have been undone by uneven scoring contributions — a consequence that cannot happen on a Bruins team that needs more tangible offense beyond the usual suspects like Bergeron, Marchand, David Krejci and David Pastrnak.
DeBrusk, for the first time in a long time, finally feels at peace in Boston. But now he has to make good on the fresh start finally presented to him — in the only place he’s called home up in the NHL ranks.
“I always feel comfortable here. I think even when things weren't necessarily the best, it's a comfortable feeling coming into this room. But looking into the year, I mean, it's crazy what a year can do. In the summer, I kind of noticed that more when I was training and kind of the vibe going into the season. But at the same time, you don't want to lose any of that because it works.
“So it's one of those things where I gotta prove that I can build on last year and that I can build on that, especially the second half and with a new coach, a new regime kind regime here. It's time to show what I got and it makes you excited again."
OTHER NOTES
Bruins announce rookie camp roster
Captains' practice is set to wrap up next Monday, but the B’s will remain busy at Warrior in the coming days, with rookie camp set to begin concurrently with the veteran squad.
Here is the 2022-23 rookie camp roster for the Bruins:
Forwards: Joey Abate, John Beecher, J.D. Greenway, Curtis Hall, James Hardie*, Brett Harrison**, Ryan Humphrey*, Keltie Jeri-Leon*, Jakub Lauko, Fabian Lysell, Marc McLaughlin, Georgii Merkulov, Matthew Poitras, Brayden Schuurman*, Luke Toporowski
Defensemen: Victor Berglund, Frederic Brunet, Mike Callahan, Jackson Edward, Grant Gabriele, Fedor Gordeev, Ryan Mast, Jacob Wilson, Kai Wissman
Goaltenders: Brandon Bussi, Reid Dyck
*Player attending on an invite basis
**Injured/Will not attend rookie or main camp
Of course, Fabian Lysell stands as the headliner among this group — with the B’s top prospect looking to make a legitimate push for NHL reps this season after just one season logged in North America. In an unfortunate development, 2021 third-round pick Brett Harrison will not be able to attend camp due to injury, with the 19-year-old pivot nursing an injury sustained during OHL preseason action
Along with their practice reps at Warrior, this rookie roster will head over to Buffalo for the annual 2022 Prospects Challenge from Sept. 15-19 — where the Bruins’ rookies will compete against the Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Ottawa Senators’ rookies in the round-robin challenge featuring prospects from each team. The participating teams will each play three games during the course of the event, which is being held entirely at the HarborCenter.
Here is the schedule for the Bruins:
Friday, September 16 (HarborCenter, Buffalo, NY)
-Boston Bruins vs. Ottawa Senators, 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 17 (HarborCenter, Buffalo, NY)
-Boston Bruins vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 3:30 p.m.
Monday, September 19 (HarborCenter, Buffalo, NY)
-Boston Bruins vs. New Jersey Devils, 10 a.m.
Grzelcyk skates ahead of practice
Some good news on the injury front, as Matt Grzelcyk was out on the ice at Warrior about 30 minutes ahead of captains' practice and taking part in multiple skating drills.
Looks like Matt Grzelcyk is skating at Warrior ahead of captains practice. pic.twitter.com/uZMAXInrIi
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) September 13, 2022
Grzelcyk, who was dealing with a dislocated shoulder for most of the second half of the 2021-22 season, underwent a tight shoulder open stabilization procedure back in June that carried a five-month recovery timeline.
As such, Grzelcyk could be back roughly a month or so before both Charlie McAvoy (shoulder) and Brad Marchand (hip) are given the green light to return — although the Charlestown native still needs a few more weeks to get re-acclimated to contact and the other hurdles that present themselves when coming back from major shoulder surgery.