Jake DeBrusk misses practice and trade rumours go crazy

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. Except on Tuesday, they moved him… to protocol!

The club announced on Tuesday morning that the winger and three staffers had entered COVID protocol. One of those staffers is assistant coach Kevin Dean, who runs the team’s defense. That responsibility is expected to have been handed to fellow assistant Joe Sacco for tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils at the Garden.

DeBrusk is the 13th Bruin player to go into protocol.

According to coach Bruce Cassidy, DeBrusk did not have any symptoms of which he knew.

When his name started trending on social media and on the NHL scene, fans were quick to believe he had finally been traded.

Last month, Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported that GM Don Sweeney is seeking an established forward or defenseman in exchange for DeBrusk. While I am not sure the Bruins will get that much for the winger, especially now that he will miss time, I understand fans thought he had finally gotten the trade he requested.

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… but now everyone should just run from him and let him recover from COVID.