Player Discussion Jake DeBrusk VIII

[Kate08]

As @Gee Wally says, it's all about the money.

He's not good enough to be as inconsistent as he is and command a huge salary. I'd be open to having him back somewhere in the $4.5 - $6m range for 4 - 6 years ($$s going down as term goes up). Anything more than that, best of luck with your new team.

What an infuriating player. Flashes of dominance but long periods of frustrating, uninspired play. The comparisons to Pasta are a bit nutty...Jake isn't close to the caliber of player Pasta is.

 

[TD Charlie]

As @Gee Wally says, it's all about the money.

He's not good enough to be as inconsistent as he is and command a huge salary. I'd be open to having him back somewhere in the $4.5 - $6m range for 4 - 6 years ($$s going down as term goes up). Anything more than that, best of luck with your new team.

What an infuriating player. Flashes of dominance but long periods of frustrating, uninspired play. The comparisons to Pasta are a bit nutty...Jake isn't close to the caliber of player Pasta is.

Ask me today, and at 6/$6 I say no.

Ask me tomorrow, maybe I bite.

My opinion on the matter is all over the map. How apropos!

 

[CellyHard]

I know everyone is saying it comes down to price but for me it comes down to will you play him on the 1st PP unit

I don’t really care if it’s 5 million or 6 million at this point but if you are committing to him long term at that AAV you have to give him more minutes there to justify the contract

JVR took a lot of minutes away from him this year and it was actually some of the lowest minutes he’s played on the PP in his career in Boston

Don’t care if it’s in front of the net (I think he’s actually really good there) or on the half wall instead of Marchand (looked good there in the leafs series) he has to be somewhere on that 1st unit to maximize his skillset

 

[dangermike]

I know everyone is saying it comes down to price but for me it comes down to will you play him on the 1st PP unit

I don’t really care if it’s 5 million or 6 million at this point but if you are committing to him long term at that AAV you have to give him more minutes there to justify the contract

JVR took a lot of minutes away from him this year and it was actually some of the lowest minutes he’s played on the PP in his career in Boston

Don’t care if it’s in front of the net (I think he’s actually really good there) or on the half wall instead of Marchand (looked good there in the leafs series) he has to be somewhere on that 1st unit to maximize his skillset

and hes way more engaged with that usage - something that a large portion of boston fans will criticize him for but what other forward on the bruins consistently performs well on the pp and then gets dropped for months at a time off it. put him on pp1 and leave him there for a year and see what happens.

i feel like hes a goner and well regret it immediately.

 

[ON3M4N]

The tough part with Jake is trying to find a comp lol. Looking at data from the last 3 years, these were the closest I could see:

Jake DeBrusk - 221GP / 71G / 132P
Anders Lee - 239GP / 76G / 133P / 7yr / $7 million / signed in 2019 / 8.59 CH%
Richard Rakell - 222GP / 63G / 138P / 6yr / $5 million / signed in 2022 / 6.06 CH%
Brandon Saad - 231GP / 69G / 128P / 5yr / $4.5 million / signed in 2021 / 5.52 CH%

If we take those deals and use the projected cap:

7yr - $7.5 million
6yr - $5.3 million
5yr - $4.8 million

As much as DeBrusk says he wants to stay, would a fresh start and potentially more money from a desperate team be to much to over come for the Bruins? Maybe.

 

[Ladyfan]

As @Gee Wally says, it's all about the money.

He's not good enough to be as inconsistent as he is and command a huge salary. I'd be open to having him back somewhere in the $4.5 - $6m range for 4 - 6 years ($$s going down as term goes up). Anything more than that, best of luck with your new team.

What an infuriating player. Flashes of dominance but long periods of frustrating, uninspired play. The comparisons to Pasta are a bit nutty...Jake isn't close to the caliber of player Pasta is.

excellent post!

 

[Mione134]

As @Gee Wally says, it's all about the money.

He's not good enough to be as inconsistent as he is and command a huge salary. I'd be open to having him back somewhere in the $4.5 - $6m range for 4 - 6 years ($$s going down as term goes up). Anything more than that, best of luck with your new team.

What an infuriating player. Flashes of dominance but long periods of frustrating, uninspired play. The comparisons to Pasta are a bit nutty...Jake isn't close to the caliber of player Pasta is.

Where have people compared him to Pasta? I haven't seen it? If so, that's insane. Nobody genuinely believes that. There's no way to ever compare the two.

 

[LouJersey]

a 6/36 deal to a guy who gets 20 goals a year and turns it up in the play-offs is a steal IMO. I just think management may feel he will get too lax with a long term deal, like they don't trust him or something. No evidence other than him saying he thought a deal would have been done by now, leading me to beleive the B's just aren't interested.

 

[DKH]

The thing with letting DeBrusk walk is, who do they have on the wings that can step up in his spot? DeBrusk has been playing RW out of team necessity, but he's primarily a left winger and outside of Marchand, DeBrusk is the only viable top 6 LW'er in the organization. Unless the plan is to move Zacha to wing and sign a real #1 center, moving on from DeBrusk has the potential of hurting the team if the Bruins can't find a replacement.

You see Athletic article ?

He wants to stay

“I see a path here,” DeBrusk said. “I’ve said it all year. I still have hope. If you told me at the beginning of the year that I’d be here without a contract, I probably wouldn’t believe you. At the same time, I’ve always loved my time here.”

Where have people compared him to Pasta? I haven't seen it? It so, that's insane. Nobody genuinely believes that. There's no way to ever compare the two.

They play well together

I’m team Jake but don’t like Joe McDonald comment about DeBrusk - he’s the one writer who my view is Sweeney respects and gives legit info others don’t get

 

[NeelyDan]

You see Athletic article ?

He wants to stay

“I see a path here,” DeBrusk said. “I’ve said it all year. I still have hope. If you told me at the beginning of the year that I’d be here without a contract, I probably wouldn’t believe you. At the same time, I’ve always loved my time here.”


They play well together

I’m team Jake but don’t like Joe McDonald comment about DeBrusk - he’s the one writer who my view is Sweeney respects and gives legit info others don’t get

Sorry what was the comment? I may have missed it

 

[Kalus]

He’ll be 28 when next season starts. You really only want to sign star players to any deal that will go I to a player’s early to mid 30s. He isn’t a star player.

In fact, he is a guy whose commitment and intensity has been questioned for as long as he has been on the Bruins. He is also a guy that gets most of his value from his elite acceleration. Acceleration is the first thing to go as a player regresses in his early 30s.

All this to say, any team that signs this guy to more than three years and for a cap hit north of, say, $5M will regret it.

I like the guy and wish him well, I just would t want my team to be the one to sign up for an instantly regretted contract.

 

[DKH]

Sorry what was the comment? I may have missed it

the Athletic had a bunch of stuff on DeBrusk

He wants to remain here

He’ll be 28 when next season starts. You really only want to sign star players to any deal that will go I to a player’s early to mid 30s. He isn’t a star player.

In fact, he is a guy whose commitment and intensity has been questioned for as long as he has been on the Bruins. He is also a guy that gets most of his value from his elite acceleration. Acceleration is the first thing to go as a player regresses in his early 30s.

All this to say, any team that signs this guy to more than three years and for a cap hit north of, say, $5M will regret it.

I like the guy and wish him well, I just would t want my team to be the one to sign up for an instantly regretted contract.

Good points

So you would not do 4/24?

 

[Absurdity]

I could be wrong, but I thought it was weird that after game 7 he brought up his broken hand in the second half of the season and that his production in the playoffs was due to his hand healing.

Injuries are usually brought up during exit interviews.

 

[mjhfb]

The simple answer is that the Bruins top six wasn't good enough. Everyone talks about the centers, but the wingers were also thin with Debrusk, Pasta, Marchand and random bottom six player TBD playing up.
If Debrusk goes they'll need to find two top six wings to play with 36 year old Marchand and Pasta while also looking for a center. I'm not saying they should keep him or let him go, just saying he may have more leverage than people think.

 

[bme44]

I'd rather a guy show up in the playoffs when it matters.

Sure, I'd also like regular season too. Knowing he had a broken hand this year makes sense for his down year in production. But Jake is a valuable asset. And we would be fools to let a player that we drafted, who wants to stay here, go.

I hope we resign him for a good price.

If the Bruins let Jake walk without making a sold effort to re-sign him . Certainly hurts my love for the Bruins and my feelings towards Sweeney.

 

[Kalus]

Good points

So you would not do 4/24?

No, cap management is just too important. 3/$15M max. Some other team will make him a better offer than that. You wish him well.

If they want to get a #1C or the closest they can come to one, which is by far the biggest need on this team, they are going to have to overpay in term and cap hit. They can’t also overpay in term and cap hit the same year for a middle six wing like DeBrusk.

Go for value and shorter term for middle six wing. How about an Ondrej Kase reclamation project, for example. Very positive article about him in the Athletic today. Concussion symptom free all season. Bet he would take a $2M 1 year deal. That’s the kind of thing I would be looking for.

 

[Mione134]

No, cap management is just too important. 3/$15M max. Some other team will make him a better offer than that. You wish him well.

If they want to get a #1C or the closest they can come to one, which is by far the biggest need on this team, they are going to have to overpay in term and cap hit. They can’t also overpay in term and cap hit the same year for a middle six wing like DeBrusk.

Go for value and shorter term for middle six wing. How about an Ondrej Kase reclamation project, for example. Very positive article about him in the Athletic today. Concussion symptom free all season. Bet he would take a $2M 1 year deal. That’s the kind of thing I would be looking for.

Jake is worth more than 3 million. Cmon now.

 

[IveGotToBeMe]

I say you go 5/$27.5. Gives him decent term and keeps you under $6 per season. He can be an integral piece to the team moving forward. He has skills that are lacking elsewhere on the roster so why let him go and pay someone else more. His ability to be effective on the PK and PP should not be overlooked. I’d just like to see him given a consistent role and that is part of Monty’s problem as he likes to shuffle things up too often for my liking.

 

[shelbysdad]

Jake is worth more than 3 million. Cmon now.

I think they meant 3 years 5 per

 

[JoeIsAStud]

No, cap management is just too important. 3/$15M max. Some other team will make him a better offer than that. You wish him well.

If they want to get a #1C or the closest they can come to one, which is by far the biggest need on this team, they are going to have to overpay in term and cap hit. They can’t also overpay in term and cap hit the same year for a middle six wing like DeBrusk.

Go for value and shorter term for middle six wing. How about an Ondrej Kase reclamation project, for example. Very positive article about him in the Athletic today. Concussion symptom free all season. Bet he would take a $2M 1 year deal. That’s the kind of thing I would be looking for.

You have 25 million in cap space and you want to sign Kase to play a top 6 role as a reclaimation project. I like the kid, but he should stay in the czech league and not return to the NHL.

3/15 for that type of money we are looking at David Peron

What are we going to invest to try and solve out #1 C problem 4/20?

 

[DKH]

No, cap management is just too important. 3/$15M max. Some other team will make him a better offer than that. You wish him well.

If they want to get a #1C or the closest they can come to one, which is by far the biggest need on this team, they are going to have to overpay in term and cap hit. They can’t also overpay in term and cap hit the same year for a middle six wing like DeBrusk.

Go for value and shorter term for middle six wing. How about an Ondrej Kase reclamation project, for example. Very positive article about him in the Athletic today. Concussion symptom free all season. Bet he would take a $2M 1 year deal. That’s the kind of thing I would be looking for.

Name from the past seemed 100 years ago

I liked him hopefully he’s going to be healthy

 

[Kalus]

You have 25 million in cap space and you want to sign Kase to play a top 6 role as a reclaimation project. I like the kid, but he should stay in the czech league and not return to the NHL.

3/15 for that type of money we are looking at David Peron

What are we going to invest to try and solve out #1 C problem 4/20?

Well, that’s the point I made in my post. To reiterate: don’t overpay for a middle six winger (what I think Jake’s level is now and I think he will be a bottom six winger by the end of his next contract) BECAUSE you are going to have to overpay in term and cap for a #1C (or as close to a #1C as you can get)this summer.

I said at the beginning of the season and then before the playoffs started that the Bruins couldn’t win the cup. Too flawed at center. How many teams without a legit top 6 center have won the cup? I really can’t think of any. And the winner usually has an unquestioned #1C. So they need to address that and they will have to overpay by signing a guy like Elias Lindholm for too much and for too long or taking on poison pill bad contracts to get a guy in trade etc.

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

Well, that’s the point I made in my post. To reiterate: don’t overpay for a middle six winger (what I think Jake’s level is now and I think he will be a bottom six winger by the end of his next contract) BECAUSE you are going to have to overpay in term and cap for a #1C (or as close to a #1C as you can get)this summer.

I said at the beginning of the season and then before the playoffs started that the Bruins couldn’t win the cup. Too flawed at center. How many teams without a legit top 6 center have won the cup? I really can’t think of any. And the winner usually has an unquestioned #1C. So they need to address that and they will have to overpay by signing a guy like Elias Lindholm for too much and for too long or taking on poison pill bad contracts to get a guy in trade etc.

Just seems like you’re not quite grasping the cap situation. And the cap is going up quite a bit next year too.

 

[Kalus]

Just seems like you’re not quite grasping the cap situation. And the cap is going up quite a bit next year too.

I could say the same about you, though. I could say that you aren’t considering how quickly cap space gets eaten up. Over 20 years we’ve seen so many teams lock themselves up to long contracts for too much AAV and those teams run out of space and end up imploding.

I’d like my team go through a thoughful and disciplined process for each contract regardless of the current cap situation. Cap situations change quickly. Overpriced comtracts last many years.

 

[Sevendust]

I could say the same about you, though. I could say that you aren’t considering how quickly cap space gets eaten up. Over 20 years we’ve seen so many teams lock themselves up to long contracts for too much AAV and those teams run out of space and end up imploding.

I’d like my team go through a thoughful and disciplined process for each contract regardless of the current cap situation. Cap situations change quickly. Overpriced comtracts last many years.

The cap is going up, lets throw around some money. Thats how you end up with Forbort, Reilly and Moore contracts at 3 million. Then the Foligno, Beleskey and Backes contracts. How many buyout money on the cap and how many picks they traded away to correct those errors?

Jake lacks constancy for years and I remember how everybody was disappointed with his regular season despite playing in a contract year. Is the broken hand the excuse for this now? Why was he still playing then? To me he showed he too many flawed character traits since he is with the team. For the contract he will demand I would put another one million or two on top of it and get a real difference maker.