BOSTON — Jake DeBrusk’s career as a member of the Boston Bruins hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be moving forward.
After undergoing a turbulent year in 2021-22, when he requested a trade from Boston before ultimately signing a two-year contract extension at the trade deadline and later rescinding his trade request, DeBrusk has looked like the Bruins’ best player when he’s been healthy enough to stay on the ice through the team’s first three games of the season.
The 26-year-old, whose birthday fell on the day of Boston’s 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers, has been a ball of energy for the Bruins so far in 2022-23. In just under 30 minutes on the ice this season, DeBrusk has scored two goals, tallied an assist, blocked a shot and dished out three hits on his way to a plus-four net rating.
In watching DeBrusk do just about any and everything, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery admitted to being surprised at his young winger’s early play.
“I was shocked at how smart a player he is and his ability to make plays,” Montgomery said. “I knew he could score goals, I knew he could skate. I didn’t know he could make as many plays as he does. I think his all-around game is continuing to develop. He was hard on pucks, he was hard coming back to our end. Penalty kill, he’s really one of our best penalty killers.”
To make DeBrusk’s performance from Monday night (where he scored a pair of goals and registered an insane assist) even more impressive, there was doubt as to whether he’d even take the ice.
The winger suffered an upper-body injury against the Washington Capitals on opening night that knocked him out of the third period entirely and forced him to miss Saturday’s home-opening matchup with the Arizona Coyotes. In preparation to get back into the lineup, DeBrusk chose to attend Monday’s morning skate where he felt good and got the green light to play.
“I felt good this morning, so I was thinking possibly tomorrow and then I got asked, ‘Why not tonight?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, why not tonight?’ “DeBrusk said postgame. “So, I just made a decision… I surprised pretty much all the boys. I told them all, ‘good luck tonight’ when I knew I was coming.”
One of DeBrusk’s two goals was the dagger, an empty-netter from inside Boston’s blue line to lock the final score at 5-3. Much like everything else he’s done this season, the play impressed Montgomery.
“Even the play on the empty net, not a lot of people know how to protect the puck, spin around and have that lane,” Montgomery said. “His hockey sense and how he sees the ice is well above the average hockey player in the NHL. It was something I didn’t know he had. I thought he was a speed-scoring winger, but he’s much more than that.”
