Boston Bruins Sign DeBrusk To $8 Million Contract Extension

The Boston Bruins continue to make things happen ahead of today’s NHL trade deadline with the announcement that they’ve signed winger Jake DeBrusk to a two-year, $8 million contract with hours until Monday afternoon’s deadline. The 25-year-old has scored 15 goals and 11 assists this season for 26 points in 57 games, and has served as the right wing with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand on the top line over the last month.

DeBrusk has slumped this month in that spot, however, with just two points and a minus-2 rating in the month of March while getting top line opportunities with the Black and Gold.

So does this mean that DeBrusk or the Boston Bruins have had a change of heart about his December trade request? It’s not likely at all as the contract makes the former first round pick a more tradeable asset with cost certainty, and could make for an easier move to somewhere like the Columbus Blue Jackets (for Max Domi), the Winnipeg Jets (for Andrew Copp) or to the Los Angeles Kings (for Alex Iafallo) if the Bruins are simply looking for a similar player that may have some baggage like DeBrusk.

In other words this DeBrusk extension is likely to be an NBA-style sign-and-trade rather than Boston suddenly falling back in love with a streaky player that’s certainly had his differences with the Boston Bruins coaching staff over the last few years.

It’s something TSN’s Pierre LeBrun seemed to be hinting at after DeBrusk’s agent confirmed that there has been no rescinding of his client’s trade request ahead of Monday’s NHL Trade Deadline.

Jake DeBrusk still wants to be traded but the hope now is that his extension helps to facilitate a move. https://t.co/oK8nkiybTJ

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) March 21, 2022

The 6-foot, 196-pound DeBrusk was the 14^th overall pick in the infamous 2015 NHL Draft for the Boston Bruins, and has appeared in 301 career NHL games for the Bruins, recording 82 goals and 78 assists for 160 points.