Debrusk the most pressing bit of business
The big fish some Bruins may have still been hoping the team would land got away Wednesday night when the Vancouver Canucks landed center Elias Lindholm from the Calgary Flames for a whopping package of a roster player (the under- performing Andrei Kuzmenko, who scored 39 goals last season), a top prospect ( Kitchener Ranger right-handed defenseman Hunter Brzustewicz) and a 2024 firstround pick.
That’s a bullet dodged. Taking nothing away from Lindholm, a good two-way center who always seemed like a perfect fit in the B’s system, but the need for a top-six pivot is not nearly as pressing as once thought in October. After some stops and starts, Charlie Coyle now has a burgeoning chemistry with Brad Marchand and Pavel Zacha clicks with David Pastrnak, who can seemingly play with just about anyone and make it a top line.
What GM Don Sweeney should set his sights on is a commodity that shouldn’t be nearly as expensive as a Lindholm but one that can be just as important when you don’t have it —
a nasty, physical thumper on the back end (Joel Edmundson, anyone?). For the cap- strapped, futures-poor B’s, that would be the more prudent way to proceed.
But before Sweeney can think about tweaking his blue line, he’s got to figure out how to proceed with a major piece of his current roster — Jake Debrusk.
Debrusk, of course, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Now that Tuukka Rask is skating his wing for the alumni team, he is easily the most polarizing figure in Black-and- Gold.
Like most political discussion these days, any conversation concerning
Debrusk’s future is often dominated by the crazies on either side. There’s the just-sign- our-jake crowd, countered by the tradehim- for- a- bag- o- pucks crew. The latter are still sore about his early- career inconsistencies and his since-rescinded trade request two years ago. The former group forever sees the carefree kid swooping in on his off-wing to score the Game 7 game-winner against the Maple Leafs in his rookie season.
The B’s were in this same situation with Pastrnak last season. But that deal, in many ways, was easier than this one. Pastrnak is an elite superstar and, as such, he was always going to land in the uppermost echelon of NHL stars. On trade deadline day last season, the B’s announced they signed Pastrnak to the richest deal in club history (eight years, $90 million). While the number may have been jaw- dropping, it was not the least bit surprising.
Now it’s Debrusk’s turn at the trough. Landing on a dollar amount won’t be as easy. He’s not Pastrnak, but Debrusk is a good player. When he’s on he’s very good. And while the debate of his worth can be wide-ranging, he is not a player you can let walk away for nothing.
Debrusk has transformed his game from his first couple of years. Back then, he wasn’t giving you much unless he was scoring goals — and he’s not enough of a prolific goal scorer to remain that kind of player. He hasn’t. To his credit, he’s become a very good two-way player who has learned how to use his speed offensively and defensively. There’s no better example of that than in the B’s 5-2 win over the explosive Colorado Avalanche two weeks ago. Not only did he have a goal and an assist, he was able to kill several promising Colorado rushes with excellent backchecks.
That game was peak performance Debrusk against a true Stanley Cup contender.
No, he doesn’t have those games every night, but Debrusk at least has figured out how to at least give you one or the other almost every night. Add that to the fact he can be plugged into any wing spot in the top nine and be effective, and Debrusk is clearly a valuable commodity.
But how valuable?
The sides got something of a road map toward a deal last week when the Flyers signed right wing Owen Tippett to an eightyear extension with an average annual salary of $6.2 million. It’s not a perfect apples-to-apples comparison — the 24-year- old Tippett was still going to be an RFA; Debrusk, 27, will be a UFA. But production- wise, Debrusk compares favorably. He’s averaging more points game (. 581) and goals per game (. 303) than Tippett (.5, .264). The fact that DeBrusk has the PK work on his resume ( Tippett does not) makes $6.2 million a good starting point.
If both sides are in that same ballpark, then the deal should be made.
If not, then Sweeney will have to make a blockbuster deal by the March 8 trade deadline after all.