At first glance, the Bruins don't necessarily look like a team equipped to make a spectacular move before the March 8 NHL trade deadline.
Boston currently has just $61,558 of available cap space (per CapFriendly), which limits the amount of headroom Don Sweeney and his staff have to do without subtracting from the NHL roster.
It has also drained years of win-now moves from Boston's draft treasury — with Boston currently not on the clock until the fourth round of the 2024 NHL Draft.
The Bruins may have the means to add some heft to their blue line or screening unit before March 8.
But the odds of Boston landing a top-six talent or a minutes-eating defensive player in the coming weeks seem slim, at best.
But what about the Bruins moving a player with a similar profile off their roster?
It's a far from desirable outcome for Boston, given its current position atop the Eastern Conference standings with a 31-9-9 record.
But with Jake DeBrusk set to hit unrestricted free agency in July, Boston needs to get some clarity on the 27-year-old's future in this market before it realistically evaluates its other options before the trade deadline.
Because if the Bruins and DeBrusk can't put together a potential long-term vision, Boston may have to contend with a scenario in which their top-six assets could become expendable — especially when compared to the risk of walking away this summer with no return to speak of.
“I think looking back on it, I feel like it's been pretty real for me all year, to be honest with you,” DeBrusk said Sunday about playing on an expiring contract this season. “I think from the start of training camp, I think it's one of the things you want to get done as quickly as possible.
“But obviously we're here now. And when it comes to, I guess, ideas about that — I don't really have any new ideas. But like I said, yeah, there's a month and a half until the trade deadline, and I hope it gets done quickly.”
In an ideal scenario, the Bruins want to keep DeBrusk around. As polarizing as he may be, DeBrusk's pitch as a solid two-way winger capable of scoring 20+ goals a season has a lot of value in today's NHL.
And while Boston would likely secure a good deal for DeBrusk if they put him on the market, a contingency plan that includes young wings like Georgi Merkulov or Fabian Lisel in the top six this spring calls for too much risk — especially given their uneven defensive games.
And although Boston boasts a lot of spending power this season, a few free shots on the wing provide the 5-on-5 scoring touch and defensive impact that DeBrusk has added to his overall skill set over the past few seasons.
The dangerous winger's slow start (four goals in 31 games) may have alleviated some of Boston's initial urgency to put pen to paper on a deal. But since the holiday break, DeBrusk has scored eight goals and scored 14 points over his last 16 games.
He missed Boston's final game before the All-Star break due to injury, but said he expects to play Tuesday night against Calgary.
DeBrusk isn't the easiest player to measure in terms of his rewards, especially given the disparity in terms of his base target total.
While the extension Brandon Hagel signed with the Lightning last summer (eight years, $6.5 million annual cap) was once billed as a similar deal to a potential DeBrusk contract, DeBrusk may need to compromise with either term or a payout if He intended to. Staying in Boston for the foreseeable future.
A new contract for DeBrusk and the Bruins could take many forms — whether it's a long-term deal between $5.5-6.5 million AAV, or another potential bridge deal that allows him to re-enter the market at $29 or $30.
Of course, DeBrusk would likely get a big raise and a long-term deal in free agency if he goes to market. But if he and his representatives choose to go that route, the Bruins may have to face some tough truths about a valuable asset on this roster — especially just a few months away from a promising playoff run.
“I always have optimism,” DeBrusk said of his hopes of signing in Boston long-term. “I feel like it would be very disappointing if I didn't have the optimism that I'm going to be here. But that's one of the things that I hope gets done. I have an agent for a reason. And obviously I've been in this organization my whole career.”
“So I feel like I know where I stand with this lineup. And I feel like I know where I stand with the people in this room and in the city as well, the highs and the lows. It's more than just playing my game. I think my game was just coming out there. And then, obviously, dealing With a little bit of something but you just have to focus on the little things and I think everything should take care of itself.
download…
