Jake DeBrusk nonetheless has loads of uncertainty in his life proper now. He is is scheduled to hit unrestricted free company the primary time in his profession this summer season and, so far as he is aware of, there hasn’t been a lot progress on a contract extension.
But final Friday’s commerce deadline got here and went and he remained a Bruins. And for the second, that allowed him to breathe just a little simpler.
“It’s always a big one, to be honest,” stated DeBrusk on Monday morning. “As the years have gone on, it’s really (tough) for everyone in the room. And it depends on certain situations – and how much you look on Twitter. And I’m still here. It’s definitely a sense of relief. You obviously don’t know until about 4:30 (on deadline day) and then you go from there. But I’m happy to be here and just excited to move forward in the playoff push here.”
Two years in the past, there was a way that DeBrusk can be dealt on the deadline. He had already requested for a commerce and was about to change into a restricted free agent. But on deadline day, he signed a two-year extension value $4 million yearly and has remained with the membership. He had an excellent season in 2022-23, notching 27 objectives whereas lacking a month with a damaged leg.
But the consistency in scoring has not been there this 12 months and, whether or not or not it’s intently linked, neither has a contract extension.
“I’ve had uncertainty before in different ways,” stated DeBrusk. “I think in the beginning of the year, I felt prepared if it went this way. But you never know unless you’re going through it. I definitely thought my year would be different in certain ways. At the end of the day, it’s stuff we always talk about.. There’s only certain things you can control and focus on. It’s inhuman not to think about those things, to be honest, but there’s lots of good support around here for me. I have guys that are on this team that I lean on, guys that were on this team that I lean on and reach out and all that stuff. It’s crazy when you think about it, that it’s just a game. You just have to go out and play.”
Trying to keep away from the commerce discuss is futile as of late, stated DeBrusk.
“It kind of gets thrown in your face these days, I feel like,” he stated. “But, I’ve got to be honest, I’ve seen a lot of heat on social media throughout my entire career. Sometimes people ask or it gets brought up and I think it’s just the way we live nowadays. Does it affect you? I think it does in some ways. It’s easy to say it doesn’t. That’s one of the things that’s exciting as fan and nerve-wracking as a player.”
As he did with Linus Ullmark, the opposite Bruin most prominently talked about in commerce hypothesis, former captain Patrice Bergeron reached out to DeBrusk a number of instances in the course of the lead-up to the deadline.
“It’s nice to see him around the rink and talk to him a little bit. But, yeah, he has reached out and sent a couple messages. I miss that guy. That’s what I was waiting for at the trade deadline, the signing that he’s coming back. Because any time he’s around the room, I’m trying to beg him to come back. He’s looking good,” joked DeBrusk. “But he’s obviously someone I leaned on when we were together and speaks volumes of his character. Just out of the blue getting a text from that guy, it’s like you’re getting a text from your first date.”
Another factor that’s undoubtedly helped ease DeBrusk’s thoughts is that he’s beginning choose up some factors. He’s obtained 2-4-6 totals in his 4 video games.
“Well, I think the puck’s going in, finally, which is nice,” he stated. “There’s been some nice finishes and getting rewarded on that side of things is something you can’t necessarily control completely. But I haven’t minded my game. I think my game has been pretty similar. It just seems like things are going in and when things go in, you gain more confidence. It’s been an intense month, an intense week. I came back from an injury (he missed the last game before the All-Star break with an undisclosed injury)and I feel like I’m just starting to get healthy again. This is the most fun time of year. You don’t practice, you’re just playing games. They’re intense games, either divisional games or against teams that are trying to get into the playoffs. This is when the hockey means the most.”
He’s not overly involved concerning the truth the doesn’t have an extension. He takes that indisputable fact that he’s nonetheless right here to imply that there’s a perception on the group’s aspect that one thing can get accomplished.
“It’s easy to get emotional or upset on these things,” stated DeBrusk. “But I understand it’s a business and you’ve got to do what’s best for the team or you.”….
On Saturday, Ullmark made some extent of claiming how a lot Charlie McAvoy reaching out on deadline day meant to him.
“It just felt like it was something I wanted to do,” stated McAvoy. “There was a lot of stuff going around and he’s a good friend, just like everybody in this locker. You step away from the ice and all these guys matter more as people than they do as players. I just wanted to send him a text. I’m happy that meant a lot to him. And I’’m really happy he’s still here.”…
Coach Jim Montgomery went with the identical six defensemen for Monday’s tilt towards the Blues, electing to get newly acquired defenseman Andrew Peeke some observe time on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“I’m not going to commit to getting him in (on Thursday in Montreal), but he’s going to get in,” stated Montgomery. “He’s an important piece and we have to get him acclimated and assimilated to how we play and get him comfortable. But we want him to be comfortable with a couple of practices before he gets in.”
Peeke will probably be carrying No. 52, the quantity present Blue Jacket and former Bruin Sean Kuraly wore when he was right here. Peeke, an excellent buddy of Kuraly’s, didn’t understand it his Kuraly’s quantity when it was issued to him.
“Yeah, that’s something he’’ll have over me,” stated Peeke with fun. “He said he’s surprised it’s not in the rafters yet.”…
With the exception of when Jeremy Swayman obtained 4 straight begins when Ullmark was harm in January, the B’s have just about caught to a goalie rotation this season. But the B’s mind belief is open to go along with a sizzling hand within the playoffs, and we might get a style of it earlier than the common season is over.
“At some point we might want to see someone play three games in a row. It’s kind of what we’ve discussed. We haven’t discussed since a couple of weeks ago. Let a guy go on a run and then let the other guy go on a run, just to simulate the damages physically of playing that,” stated Montgomery.
Source: www.bostonherald.com