Popular Bruins' forward rumored to be on the trading block.

It sounds like the Boston Bruins are still considering trading one of their more popular young forwards and in fact they may have never stopped dangling as trade bait dating back as far as the 2017 - 2018 National Hockey League regular season.

As the Bruins approached the trade deadline last season one of the names that many fans were surprised to learn was being tangled in potential trade discussions was that of rookie forward Jake DeBrusk. The surprise stemmed not only from the fact that the Bruins, and general manager Don Sweeney, were considering trading such a young player, but also due to the fact that DeBrusk quickly seemed to earn a key role in the Bruins line up. It's true that his play was at times very inconsistent but over the 70 games he played in his first season as an NHL forward the 21 year old recorded 16 goals and added 27 assists for a total of 43 points. On top of that DeBrusk finished the regular season with a plus minus rating of +13, none of this points to him being the kind of guy you would want to trade away from your roster.

It seemed however that the Bruins had a different perspective on things and twice DeBrusk's name came up prominently in trade rumors while the Bruins were engaged in talks with the New York Rangers. At first there were rumblings that DeBrusk would be a key component in a trade involving defenseman Ryan McDonaugh, who at the time was the Rangers captain, but that trade never materialized. McDonaugh would eventually be traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning but DeBrusk's name came up yet again after that. This time DeBrusk was rumored to be a piece in the deal that eventually sent Rick Nash to Boston, but the Bruins wisely were unwilling to make that deal and DeBrusk remained a Bruin for the remainder of the season and throughout the summer.

Now however a new report from eSPN's Greg Wyshynski has revealed that DeBrusk's name has once again come up in trade talks and once again it involves a deal in which the Bruins would be looking to acquire of the NHL's truly elite players. Wyshysnki indicated that he wouldn't be surprised to see DeBrusk's name come up again this season and added that he had heard him being linked to a possible trade for Columbus Blue Jackets star Artemi Panarin.

From ESPN:

It's entirely possible that DeBrusk could hear his name come up again in trade rumors this season -- it has already bubbled up in chatter about Columbus Blue Jackets star Artemi Panarin -- but it isn't something he's dreading at the moment.

It's true that DeBrusk has shown himself to be quite the capable player but it's also true that at this stage of their careers Paanrin is a significantly better player. The issue here of course is that Panarin would only be a rental and a rental that has indicated he does not want to sign a new contract before becoming a free agent. That being said though if Sweeney and the Bruins believe he can put them over the hump, that may be a risk they are willing to take.