Boston Bruins

DeBrusk Still Wants Trade Despite 2-Yr Contract Extension with Bruins

Jake DeBrusk has signed a two-year contract extension with the Boston Bruins, but has not rescinded his trade request.

by
NHL Trade Talk
March 21, 2022

A player many people figured would be traded out of Boston, forward Jake DeBrusk has been re-signed by the Bruins to a two-year extension. While there’s a small possibility the Bruins and DeBrusk have gotten back on the same page, this could be a sign-and-trade situation, says a number of NHL insiders.

DeBrusk signs a two-year, $8 million extension with the club, and the deal will offer another team some cost certainty.

7️⃣4️⃣ is signed ✅

The #NHLBruins have inked @JDebrusk to a two-year extension: https://t.co/6qmaIqD2Fm pic.twitter.com/lzYPkI4qle
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 21, 2022

DeBrusk asked for a trade from the Bruins earlier this season, and Friedman says “The trade request has not been rescinded. The worry about his qualifying offer/next contract is erased, however. We will see where it goes.”

DeBrusk has been on fire with the Bruins over the past few weeks. His most frequent games have seen his production drop, but at the end of February, he posted nine points in five games. The Bruins do need him in their offense, or someone to replace him if he’s traded either before Monday’s deadline or during the offseason.

His $4 million AAV erases the fear of a $4.41 million qualifying offer that was due this summer and helps the potential of a trade, which is still not guaranteed. It’s not a massive drop over what the player would have been due, but it does let any team who might be interested in trading for him know what they’re trading for. He’ll be a UFA at the end of the 2023-24 season.

For any team looking to add him, he’s best defined as a middle-six scoring forward who draws penalties and creates offensive chances. He gets hot and cold and when he’s good, he’s quite good. When he’s cold, he doesn’t offer much.

The question now will be if this $4 million value has been one a team said they’d be willing to live with in a potential trade or if interested teams find this annual average salary too high to make a move.

Next: All Eyes On Marc-Andre Fleury as NHL Trade Deadline Nears