Bruins feeling the heat to trade Jake DeBrusk

Forward Jake DeBrusk placed himself on the trade block when he admitted he wanted out of Boston, but the Bruins have not made a move since.

Earlier this month, Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported that GM Don Sweeney is seeking an established forward or defenseman in exchange for DeBrusk, and now insider Fluto Shinzawa is commenting on how quickly the Bruins need to move DeBrusk.

Shinzawa believes Sweeney has a better shot at moving the forward now that the creation of a six-player taxi squad eases teams’ concern about full rosters and cap compliance. However, DeBrusk might not be enough to get the asking price the Bruins have in mind.

The thing is that the Bruins are feeling the heat to move DeBrusk. As Shinzawa points out, Tuukka Rask’s return is in the cards in Boston.

“The current plan is for Rask to play for Providence during the Bruins’ two-game swing to Tampa Bay and Washington in January. Rask, of course, would need a contract. The Bruins may have to clear salary to accommodate the goalie’s deal. Moving DeBrusk’s $3.675 million average annual value could do the trick.”

While I like DeBrusk on paper, he’s clearly in need of a change of scenery and even at his peak a couple years back I’m not sure he’s worth much more than a draft pick on the trade market. The 25 year old former 14th overall pick (2015 NHL Entry Draft) has just five goals and eight points in 25 games so far this season and managed just five goals and 14 points in 41 games last season. He’s not exactly filling the net on a regular basis and he doesn’t offer much in terms of penalty killing ability or leadership intangibles either.

Frankly, if Sweeney gets anything close to an NHL level player in an offer for DeBrusk he should take it and run… there’s not a lot of leverage there for Sweeney in trade talks. The longer things drag on, the more I see the Bruins recouping a mid to late round draft pick or two in exchange for DeBrusk.
Especially if the heat is on…