Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy made Jake DeBrusk a healthy scratch Tuesday night. That's what it had come to for the 2015 first-round pick who scored 27 goals two seasons ago and who once had a seemingly unbreakable stranglehold on the second-line left wing job.
Where this goes from here is entirely up to DeBrusk. He could respond well, make it the wake-up call it should be, and start writing his comeback story. Or he could respond negatively, let his downward spiral continue, and start writing the final pages of the Bruins chapter of his career.
There have certainly been some challenges for DeBrusk this season. Moving between the left and right side isn't easy. Neither is bouncing around several different lines. He missed a few games due to injury as well.
But Cassidy made it clear why he was benching DeBrusk, and it wasn't because he's been snake-bitten or had bad luck or struggled to find chemistry with linemates. It was because of effort. It was because he hasn't responded to other methods of motivation, like one-on-one meetings.
"Well, we've tried different angles with Jake," Cassidy said Tuesday. "He's met one-on-one with myself, he's met with the coaches one-on-one, Joe [Sacco] and Jay [Pandolfo], met with lines, talked to some of the veteran guys. So at the end of the day, we're not quite getting out of Jake what we want. Some of that is circumstance and situation -- he's moved around a bit, been hurt, his center he's played with in the past [David Krejci] has been hurt. But I still feel he's been given ice time to perform to the best of his ability.
"We just feel we're not getting the effort required. It's not always about the score sheet; it's about being one of 20 guys helping you win. Some nights it's there, some nights it's not. Again, we've tried different messaging with the player. Sometimes going upstairs and taking a look is not a bad way to go. Put a different perspective on it, maybe have a different appreciation for being in there, and then maybe educating yourself on some things that you see from up top that look a little easier than they do in the live action."
That is pretty damning. One goal in 17 games is the first thing anyone will point to when it comes to DeBrusk's struggles this season, but sometimes one goal in 17 games could be the product of some of those other factors: bad luck, bad fit with linemates, maybe not being used in a role that fits your game.
But Cassidy is making it clear as day that he believes that one goal in 17 games is the byproduct of a bigger problem: lack of effort. And that is the one thing that is always in the player's control. Even if other things aren't clicking, you can work hard. You can grind.
You hear it in hockey all the time: The best way to break out of a scoring slump is to do everything else you need to be doing in other areas of the game. Take care of the rest of your game, don't try to take any shortcuts, and eventually the goals will come.
Cassidy doesn't believe DeBrusk is doing that, and it's hard to argue with him. The Bruins coach said last week he didn't see DeBrusk enough during his video reviews of games. The rest of us probably feel the same way watching the Bruins on TV.
What do you think of when you reflect on DeBrusk's highs with the Bruins? He's using his speed to take on defenders. He's driving hard to the net. A lot of goals scored in close. Maybe you're remembering some good hits and strong forechecks, too. Regardless, it all involves him moving his feet.
Now how often have we seen any of that this season? Certainly not nearly enough. And that's the effort Cassidy is talking about. Playing that way is hard work, but that's the way DeBrusk needs to play to be successful. He's a skilled player, but he's not skilled enough to just float around or park himself in one spot and snipe corners. He's not that kind of player.
Whether DeBrusk starts scoring immediately upon his return to the lineup -- whether that's Thursday night or sometime after that -- is almost a secondary concern. What Cassidy really wants to see, and what the Bruins really need, is for that hustle and aggression to return, and there's no reason DeBrusk can't get back to that immediately.
Whether he does or not is entirely up to him. If he does, the goals will eventually follow, and he will be able to be part of the solution offensively for the Bruins. If he doesn't, he will be expendable, and the Bruins will have to find someone better to play in their top six, potentially moving on from DeBrusk in the process.
