Getting a deal done with Jake DeBrusk was a priority for Boston, and that happened Monday when the Bruins signed the top-six forward to a two-year contract.
It's a smart deal for both sides, and general manager Don Sweeney is excited to continue to have DeBrusk in Black and Gold.
"Very happy to have that resolved," he told reporters Monday. "Excited for Jake and what this represents for him. And very appreciative of all the work the Rick Vallette did along with Evan (Gold) and the support of ownership. I appreciate you guys all jumping on board to discuss the contract."
It's unclear just when the 2020-21 NHL season will begin, which also means a date for training camp still has yet to be announced. Because of the uncertainties, Sweeney focused on a shorter-term deal.
"Again, the timing is – every negotiation really has its own timeline. We went through an extended period with both Brandon (Carlo) and Charlie (McAvoy) last year," he said. "The landscape is just, there are a lot of unknowns associated with where we’re going in the immediate future and hopefully things, with all the positive news associated with vaccines and a hopeful climate that could potentially exist, that we get back on track. But we have some ground to cover and I think that was part of the discussions this time around with Jake and Rick and realizing that we explored a longer-term deal. And it’s probably on me that it didn’t come to fruition, we focused on a shorter term given the landscape and the uncertainty."
For now, the Bruins have DeBrusk for the next two seasons, and he has a chance to become a consistent player and set himself up for a large pay day.
