Linus Ullmark wasn't the only Bruins player who Patrice Bergeron reached out to before the NHL trade deadline.
Bergeron also spoke with Jake DeBrusk, whose name was floated in trade rumors in the days leading up to March 8. This wasn't a new experience for DeBrusk, a talented player who's seen an equal amount of ups and downs in the league since his rookie season with Boston in 2017-18.
The former Bruins captain harped on that level of experience in his conversation with DeBrusk. Bergeron also wanted his former teammate to lean into the positives.
"With JD, it was more like to take a step back and realize, 'You have the experience. You've been there before. You've handled it before,'" Bergeron told The Athletic's Fluto Shinzawa. "Sometimes when you're too close to the target, you lose the big picture a little bit. It was just for me to give him an outside perspective and make him realize how special it is to be playing in this league, the talent that he has. Just go out there, take a breath, really look around and realize how cool this is. You're playing for the Boston Bruins. Sometimes when you're caught up and things are not going your way, you're putting so much pressure on yourself and your expectations are so high. It sounds crazy, but it’s how it is. You lose the big picture. You lose the gratitude a little bit. It’s just a way of taking a breath and just resetting a little bit."
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The pre-deadline chats seemed to help DeBrusk and Ullmark, but they also scratched an itch for Bergeron. The six-time Frank J. Selke Trophy winner is plenty content in retirement, but he does miss the consistent contact with his now-former teammates.
Bergeron figures to be following along when the Bruins try to make a deep run in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Boston only has 12 regular-season games left before its quest for a championship begins.
Featured image via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
