Boston Bruins: Why team should keep Jake DeBrusk

Jake DeBrusk is a restricted free agent and the Boston Bruins should do everything they can to keep him in Boston.

This is going to be an interesting offseason for the Boston Bruins. There is expected to be a lot of change and some key players could be moving on, but there’s one player Boston should try and keep.

At this point, it seems to be a foregone conclusion that Torey Krug will be leaving. The sides seem no closer to a deal and Krug’s comments make it seem like he has made a decision to leave the Bruins.

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Also, it seems as though Tuukka Rask could be on his way out as well. Trade speculation continues to build around the goaltender.

But there’s one player that Boston should try their best to keep. Jake DeBrusk could be a major part of the Bruins future.

Now it feels necessary to state that Boston has an advantage when trying to re-sign DeBrusk. The winger is a restricted free agent so they still control whether he leaves or not.

DeBrusk has had a quality start to his NHL career. In just over 200 games so far, DeBrusk has 62 goals and 58 assists. That’s pretty good for your second line winger.

Now the loss of Krug will be felt. He is arguably Boston’s best defensemen, but the team can minimize the impact of him leaving.

The Bruins have a ton of defensive prospects who can handle NHL minutes. Urho Vaakanainen is a name to keep an eye on. Also, Matt Grzelcyk is a similar type of player but isn’t on Krug’s level just yet.

But the Bruins don’t exactly have a replacement for DeBrusk. Jack Studnicka and Anders Bjork are two names that instantly come to mind. These guys have proven they deserve to stay up in the NHL but at this point in their careers, working in the bottom six seems to be the best thing for them.

If DeBrusk leaves Boston would once again become too reliant on their top line. It would be hard to imagine them going far in the playoffs.

As long as DeBrusk isn’t asking for too much money the Boston Bruins should re-sign him. He is a key part of their future plans.

DeBrusk has already made some great memories in Boston. Hopefully, he makes more wearing the black and gold this upcoming season.