Bruins Rival Reportedly Trying to Poach Key Piece

With the NHL free agency period on the horizon, one pending Boston Bruins free agent reportedly has "mutual interest" with one of the team's Original Six rivals. Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk has been linked to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

DeBrusk has been a perennial Leafs killer in the playoffs, scoring 9 goals and 5 assists in 21 career playoff games against Toronto. Brendan Shanahan and Co. appear to have accepted that if they can't stop DeBrusk, then the next best option is to get him a blue sweater.

The Bruins and Maple Leafs have faced off four times in the playoffs since 2013, with all four of the series going the distance - and all four resulting in Boston Game 7 wins. The Bruins beat Toronto in seven games in 2013, 2018, 2019, and 2024. Boston handed the Leafs their most recent heartbreak when David Pastrnak scored 1:54 into overtime in the first round of this season's Stanley Cup Playoffs.

DeBrusk's career with the Bruins since being drafted 14th overall in Boston's infamous 2015 draft has been turbulent. He butted heads with former head coach Bruce Cassidy, putting his future with the organization into question when he requested a trade in Nov. 2021.

He eventually rescinded the trade request and enjoyed a resurgence under Jim Montgomery. DeBrusk had an impressive 2022-23 season in which he found the back of the net 27 times in 64 games. The 27-year-old had 19 goals and 21 assists this season, but he has failed to put together a consistent season representative of his potential.

For Bruins fans, the frustration with DeBrusk is that he often shows flashes suggesting he should be a consistent 30-goal scorer each year, but he hasn't been able to put it all together over an 82-game season. Is that the type of guy that you want to hand out a long-term, high AAV contract to?

The Hockey Writers projected DeBrusk's next contract as eight years and $6.75 million average annual value. It looks like an exorbitant deal, but that is the going rate for players of his caliber. The Hockey Writers pointed to Brandon Hagel's eight-year extension with the Tampa Bay Lightning as a comparable benchmark for DeBrusk. Hagel received an eight-year, $52 million extension (6.5 AAV) last Aug. with the Bolts.

Please note that the contract projection was made prior to the news that the 2024-25 salary cap would be increasing, which could inflate DeBrusk's value even further.

Last offseason, the Leafs poached Bruins winger Tyler Bertuzzi on a one-year, $5.5 million deal. Bertuzzi is scheduled to hit free agency again this offseason, and his potential departure could open up some cap space for DeBrusk. This would make it back-to-back seasons that Toronto has swooped in on a free agent Bruin.

Earlier this month, the NHL announced that it would be increasing the salary cap to $88 million for the 2024-25 season, an increase of $4.5 million from 2023-24. This additional cap space will give teams more financial flexibility during the free agency period. Boston and Toronto's cap space for the upcoming season come out to $22.1 million and $18.3 million, respectively.

NHL free agency begins on July 1 at 12 p.m. EST.

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