Bruins sign Jake DeBrusk to two-year extension despite trade request

Despite a trade request that is still active, Jake DeBrusk has chosen to accept an extension offer from the Boston Bruins. DeBrusk’s new contract is a two-year, $4M AAV pact that will take him through his age-27 season. TSN’s Chris Johnston reports that “the belief” is that the Bruins “still want to trade” DeBrusk, and believe that signing him to this extension makes him a more attractive trade asset. DeBrusk was due a $4.41M qualifying offer this offseason from a team looking to retain his rights as a restricted free agent, but now that situation is swapped with a much clearer two-year deal that takes DeBrusk straight to unrestricted free agency when the contract expires.

For the Bruins, this contract makes DeBrusk a more cost-controlled asset than he previously was. Given how long the DeBrusk trade saga has lingered, it is possible that Boston was simply not getting the offers they deemed acceptable for DeBrusk and found that the uncertainty of his contract situation impeded making a satisfactory trade. With the extension, they have cleared up those murky financial waters and paved a path for an acquiring team to have a much clearer sense of the value they’d be receiving if they choose to acquire DeBrusk. It is a bit curious, though, given that players looking at sign-and-trade situations typically get traded first and then sign their extension, as Boston did recently with Hampus Lindholm. One thing to note is that DeBrusk’s actual salary this season is $4.85M, a significant increase from his $3.675M cap hit, which may be a barrier keeping the Bruins from making a trade given how many teams are still reeling from the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

By signing this extension, DeBrusk cashes in on his recent performance and also bets on himself by signing for only a two-year term. DeBrusk has recently found a better fit in Boston as a winger on their first line. He has 15 goals and 26 points so far this season, numbers that are a nice improvement from last year’s miserable five-goal, 14-point campaign. Some still believe that DeBrusk, the 14th overall pick in the 2015 draft, has the potential to become a 30-goal scorer in the NHL, and any team acquiring him would likely be buying into that potential. Things can change quickly in the NHL, and DeBrusk is no stranger to that, having gone from 27 goals in 2018-19 to five in 2020-2021, so naturally there is risk for the player in signing a deal only two years in length. But with this extension, DeBrusk is betting on himself and the possibility of him realizing his potential with a long-desired change of scenery.