BHN Daily: Where Are The Boston Bruins And DeBrusk Headed?

While Boston Bruins forward Charlie Coyle tries to find his game in the third line right wing slot, his former linemate, winger Jake DeBrusk will have to try and find his game from the press box. 

For the second time this season, DeBrusk was set to be a healthy scratch on Tuesday night when the Bruins and Penguins hooked up for a rematch and their final meeting this season. 

Take a gander at Jake DeBrusk content on Boston Hockey Now and you’ll find the common theme is the Boston Bruins winger needing to be more consistent. Well, unfortunately for DeBrusk this season he has been consistent at under-achieving and being unable to find the jam he had in the 2018 and 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. That jam left to ten goals and nine assists in DeBrusk’s first 36 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It also led to a brilliant sophomore season in 2018-19 when DeBrusk lit the lamp 27 times and finished with 42 points in 68 games. 

Since then though, the jam and confidence issues have seen the 24-year-old DeBrusk regress and yet sign a two-year bridge deal with a $3.6 million salary-cap hit per season. The problem is while DeBrusk hasn’t been as bad as many are making him out to be right now, he’s simply never started that cross over the bridge and to the next level that Boston Bruins believe he can reach. 

“We just need a higher compete level. Every player is in a different place in their career here, and we just talked to him about the standard that we expect him to play to,” Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said after he announced that rookie forward Trent Frederic would replace DeBrusk in the lineup Tuesday.

DeBrusk has four goals in 34 games this season and just one goal in his last 13 games. While Cassidy is sympathetic to dry spells, he still needs to see more effort from DeBrusk and he made that clear, again, on Tuesday. 

“Everyone is going to have an “off” night, but it’s not about individual stats,” Cassidy went on. “It’s about helping this team win. In order to do that if guys aren’t scoring, and if I put him in that category then there are a few other guys for sure, then help us win.” 

As far as this scribe sees it, I see a player that has a huge heart and plenty of skill but just can’t seem – for an array of reasons under and not under his control – to get it together. It has been confirmed here numerous times that the Bruins did listen on DeBrusk on the NHL trade market both this past offseason and heading into this past NHL Trade Deadline on April 12. What DeBrusk does after this latest healthy scratch more than likely determines his future in a Boston Bruins uniform. 

Now onto the rest of the BHN Daily Links:

As mentioned above, Coyle has also been struggling and he and the Bruins seem to know what needs to happen if he’s to get back towards his 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs form. (Boston Hockey Now)

Boston Bruins winger Taylor Hall, who was drafted first overall at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, 27 picks before the San Jose Sharks took Coyle, continues to impress his new teammates and coaches with his dedication to a two-way game. My partner-in-crime Joe Haggerty has more. (Boston Hockey Now)

Hopefully, by May 10, Hall, Coyle, and DeBrusk all have their game going because that’s when TD Garden can start to be a quarter full for Boston Bruins games. (Boston Hockey Now)

Speaking of more fans being allowed at NHL games, are the Pittsburgh Penguins going to be permitted to get more fans with ‘Vaccinated’ sections? (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

Next season, God Willing, the in-arena experience will be back to normal but we now know for sure that NBC will not be part of the NHL TV coverage and in addition to ESPN, Turner will be as well. (NHL)

Finally, another great story from the hockey world on Spittin’ Chiclets as Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak justifies ordering Subway. 

“Just going to the elevator obviously full hands, trying to press the button and boom, the whole meat sauce and pasta and spaghetti, just all in the elevator, and I’m just freaking out,” Pastrnak said. “It’s like 12:30, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I need to nap, like, what am I going to do? I’m not going to cook spaghetti and meat sauce and stuff.’ So I ordered Subway actually, the nice foot long, you know, and scored three goals that game.”

Ever hear about the time @pastrnak96 spilled his pregame pasta everywhere and had to get Subway last minute?

He still put up 4 goals that game.

📺: https://t.co/lhcUDOE5OK pic.twitter.com/c3nixP5Obz

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) April 26, 2021