Boston Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk is no stranger to trade rumours. He has heard his name floated around in nearly all seven of his NHL seasons to date. In fact, he even requested a trade himself early into the 2021-22 season, but went on to rescind it following Bruce Cassidy’s firing at season’s end.
Under Jim Montgomery in 2022-23, DeBrusk tied his career high in goals with 27, while registering a career high in points with 50. Those numbers came despite the fact he played in only 64 games, and seemed to suggest that after years of inconsistency, he had figured things out at the NHL level. Then came the 2023-24 season.
Once again, DeBrusk was very inconsistent throughout 2023-24. His totals weren’t bad, having scored 19 goals and 40 points. On too many nights, however, he was a nonfactor, which has frustrated the fan base given that he has all the skills to be a top-end player.
The struggles have resulted in DeBrusk’s time with the Bruins likely to come to an end, as he is set to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) this summer. One team that has been discussed when it comes to acquiring DeBrusk over the years is the Calgary Flames, and it may make more sense now than ever for them to get him.
DeBrusk Could Thrive with Change of Scenery
As mentioned, DeBrusk has shown in his career that he has plenty of potential. He’s never fully put it all together, but has recorded 40 or more points in five of his seven NHL seasons, and has scored more than 20 goals three times. He has proven to be a solid playoff performer as well, with 27 goals and 47 points in 86 outings.
In Calgary, DeBrusk would be given all sorts of opportunities, and should he stay healthy, would have a realistic chance at surpassing the 60-point mark for the first time in his career. On top of his scoring, what makes him an even more intriguing piece for the Flames is that not only does his age fit into the direction they are going, but he also won’t cost as much as everyone thought a year ago given his down season.
DeBrusk is coming off of a two-year, $8 million deal. While he may be able to squeeze out some more term in free agency, his cap hit itself likely won’t rise by much more than $1 million total. For a team like the Flames who are set to have a ton of cap space this summer, giving him three or four years at $5 million average annual value (AAV) makes a ton of sense.
The hope amongst the fan base is that the Flames will be a competitive team in three years time, which, if given a four-year deal, would mean that DeBrusk is a part of the organization when things begin to turn around.
Should the Flames fail to get things turned around by then, or perhaps change their mind and opt to head into even more of a rebuild over the next year or two, they could likely get plenty of value in a trade involving DeBrusk, assuming he can produce even bigger totals in a new city.
At the very least, the Flames are going to have to ensure they sign some players to reach the cap floor. They could be moving even more money out this summer, as Jacob Markstrom is on the block, while they have some other big-named players entering the final year of their respective contracts in Andrew Mangiapane, Andrei Kuzmenko, and Yegor Sharangovich. Taking a shot at DeBrusk is something general manager Craig Conroy should strongly consider should he hit free agency.
