Jake DeBrusk has been the Bruins' No. 2 left wing pretty much from the moment he came into the NHL three years ago.
It always seemed likely he would continue in that role, but it wasn't exactly a given this offseason. There was a lot of smoke when it came to the idea of the Bruins going in another direction with that spot, whether that meant DeBrusk moving down to a third-line role or being traded to help another part of the roster.
There was the Taylor Hall pipe dream. Mike Hoffman's name kept popping up, and might even continue to pop up given that he's still a free agent. The Bruins have just over $4 million of cap space remaining, though, so it would have to take either Hoffman settling for much less than he expected or the Bruins making a corresponding move to free up money.
There was even that Patrik Laine trade rumor at one point, although that would've meant a right wing moving over to the left if DeBrusk went to Winnipeg in the deal.
But with DeBrusk now locked up on a two-year, $7.35 million deal, it looks the 24-year-old former first-round pick will once again be the Bruins' No. 2 left wing.
That may be good enough. DeBrusk has been solid by No. 2 left wing standards. He tied for 33rd among NHL left wings in goals last year and was 43rd in points. The year before, he was tied for 19th in goals and 31st in points. If you do the math, in a league with 31 teams, using strictly goal and point totals he's an above average No. 2 left wing at worst and a lower-end No. 1 left wing if he gets back to the level he played at two seasons ago when he scored 27 goals.
There was a lot of talk about improving 5-on-5 scoring this offseason, and it's actually at 5-on-5 that DeBrusk's offensive numbers look even better. Over the past two seasons combined, he has scored 1.07 goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5, which ranks 10th among all left wings and puts him clear of the likes of Hoffman (0.90), Laine (0.83) and even Hall (0.68), as all three of them rely more on power-play scoring -- an area that's already a strength for the Bruins (pending how they do without Torey Krug, of course).
So that's all great, right? Why would the Bruins feel like they might need to upgrade? Well, it always comes back to one thing with DeBrusk: consistency.
When he gets hot, he can get white-hot and score in bunches. When he goes cold, he can go ice-cold and disappear for weeks at a time. He can score seven goals in 12 games like he did from Jan. 9 to Feb. 8 this past season, or one in 14 like he did in the stretch that immediately followed that. He can score two huge goals to spark a third-period comeback in a playoff game like he did in Game 4 of the first round against Carolina this year, or he can score one in five games against the Lightning and find himself on the list of reasons the Bruins' season came to an early end.
Every player goes through slumps. It's inevitable. But the Bruins need DeBrusk to find ways to make a positive impact even when the puck isn't going in and not allow his whole game to fall apart, which only ends up prolonging the scoring slump.
"Obviously, I'd love to score every single game. I think every player in the league would say that," DeBrusk said Tuesday. "It's one of those things where, obviously, it comes with consistency and things like that. It's just a matter of action, the all-around game, what I can to bring to the game when I'm not scoring. It's one of those things where that's where I've really tried to focus on and one thing that I'll definitely be changing for the rest of my career."
One way DeBrusk knows he can make an impact even when he's not scoring is with his physicality and forechecking, something he said he noticed was lacking too often last year when he went back and evaluated his play after the season.
"I've been focusing on probably just my physical side of the game," he said. "I think I've put on some weight already and have really been attacking just getting stronger overall. More balance on the ice and also just little details within my game that then help the ups and downs. I think that's kind of the thing that everyone likes to talk about, so it's been obviously a big focus of mine. Obviously, still trying to work on speed and still trying to be fast – faster I guess. But definitely the physical side of things.
"…I'm not saying I'm going to be running around out there, but obviously, I could finish checks more. That's usually how I play. That's how I've been known to play. It just didn't really happen much this year and it's one thing I felt like it affected my game a lot. It could open up space for me, my teammates and also just getting the puck."
DeBrusk's new contract -- a "bridge deal" if you will -- makes a lot of sense for both sides. The Bruins get a chance to see if DeBrusk can become that more consistent player before committing more years and money to him, and DeBrusk gets a chance to prove he deserves more before hitting free agency again during his prime years.
In the meantime, if DeBrusk can take that step forward this year, then all that talk about whether the Bruins should've upgraded their second-line left wing position will be forgotten.
