Just when the Boston Bruins might think they are done with having to worry about getting their restricted free agents signs, news is coming down the wire that the stress won’t stop now that Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo are under contract.
The Bruins are already dealing with Torey Krug publicly discussing his desire to stay with the team while he plays out his final season before becoming an unrestricted free agent. Now, soon-to-be RFA, Jake Desbrusk is in the conversation.
Debrusk made recent comments regarding how closely he watched the negotiations and drama unfold between not only the Bruins and McAvoy and Carlo, but other restricted free agents around the league. He’s taking notes.
NBC Sports’ Joe Haggerty writes that Debrusk — who is coming off of a 27-goal season — commented, “Obviously that’s going to be my situation [as an RFA]. Hopefully not [as a holdout].” That he’s even mentioning the words holdout at this stage is not a good sign.
This is not to suggest that Debrusk is anticipating a holdout or that he wants to hold the Bruins to the fire, but he’s aware that in these types of negotiations, things can go south in a hurry. He doesn’t want that to happen so he’s referencing future negotiations now.
Debrusk went on to add:
“It’s one of those where you ask questions on the business side of it. Things change and different stuff happens with talks, but at the same time I mostly just try to stay out of it. I try to stay dialed in to get ready for training camp and the season. I guess when that time comes, though, I’ll be more aware of what to expect.”
Can The Bruins Get Debrusk Done?
The simple answer to whether or not the Bruins will get Debrusk’s new deal done is probably yes. That said, he needs to have another strong season to give a better indication as to his value, the Bruins will have to keep a close eye on terms (the deals they signed with Carlo and McAvoy are heavily back-loaded) and they’ll need to ensure that as they negotiate with Krug, they keep future deals like Debrusk’s in mind.
After all, Debrusk is one of ten different free agents the Bruins will need to make a decision on next summer.
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