Jake DeBrusk’s time with the Boston Bruins has come to an end as he has signed a long-term deal with the Vancouver Canucks. As he moved to a new organization, it provided an opportunity to look back at his career in Boston, which was quite complicated.
DeBrusk played 465 games for the Bruins over seven seasons. The winger racked up 138 goals and 128 assists over his time in Boston. His best season came in 2022-23 when he scored 27 goals and 23 assists.
Overall, these stats are good, and it would seem that fans would have no issues with the winger whatsoever. As Bruins fans will know, that is not the case.
DeBrusk struggled to stay consistent. He could score five goals in five games and then go a month without finding the back of the net.
His consistency was also an issue in terms of regular season performance compared to playoff performance. DeBrusk could be the hottest player on the Bruins roster in the regular season, but when the playoffs arrived, he would fall into the background.
DeBrusk also drew the ire of Bruins fans due to his style of play. The winger wasn’t your typical “big, bad Bruin” who would level opponents and fight in the dirty areas. Especially at the beginning of his career, DeBrusk seemed to shy away from the physical aspect of the game. As he matured as a player, he was able to get more involved in the dirty areas but struggled to shed the “soft” label.
As a player, it is hard to look at his time in Boston as nothing short of a success. He statistical numbers show a promising offensive player and he will surely find success in Vancouver.
“It’s been a crazy process, obviously, free agency and going through it for the first time,” DeBrusk said per team-provided video. “But in saying that, in terms of obviously being in Vancouver, they were very aggressive. I knew I had a really good feeling about them. We were talking and things of that nature and things were looking like they were going to hopefully go in the right direction.”
But the lack of consistency and a Stanley Cup will have fans feeling a bit melancholy about DeBrusk’s time in a Bruins uniform, and they won’t be too concerned about his departure.
