Boston Bruins: To renew or not to renew Jake DeBrusk?

While there are many Boston Bruins questions to ask; whether to renew Jake DeBrusk or not remains perhaps most perplexing.

A consistent player in the Boston Bruins top six, it’s not like Jake DeBrusk would be that easy to replace, but recent comments by his agent suggest he may not be willing to take any sort of discount on a new deal.

That is where everything gets a little problematic, especially when most of the team are on sweet-heart deals. Just look at the way our salaries are spread compared to a team like Toronto with multiple over $10 million and you soon realize that it requires the players to buy-in.

Jake DeBrusk, fair play to him, probably deserves a bit of a pay-day but he could risk pricing himself out of Boston if he asks for too much this summer, especially with a Torey Krug renewal likely the top order of business, as well as the inevitable one-year extension for Zdeno Chara.

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Also factor in that the likes of Anders Bjork and Matt Grzelcyk have played their way into wage increases over the past year or so and suddenly it’s hard to find a number that will likely fit with DeBrusk and the Boston Bruins.

Looking around the league, Jake is a top-six player on most teams, definitely a top-nine as a bare minimum. He is all but a guarantee for 40 points a season and seems to thrive in big game situations.

If we were guaranteed a salary cap increase this year, a new deal would be an inevitability. Instead, we’re left looking around at comparables to determine just how much he may ask for and whether it’s worth signing on for.

Travis Konecny would be an obvious comparison, given he was drafted in the same year, ten spots later than Jake in fact. Perhaps the biggest difference is the consistency at which he’s scored goals.

Whereas Jake DeBrusk had a single break-out year above 20 goals, Travis has netted 20 or more three consecutive campaigns. The most recent campaign, he had 61 points when the season was suspended, compared to DeBrusk’s 35 points. Likewise, the Flyers winger has also been to an All-Star Game in that time.

This could actually work in the Boston Bruins’ favor; he’s a very clear comparable as a fellow member of the 2015 Draft Class and is only commanding $5.5 million on a six-year deal. If Don Sweeney plays his cards right, he can set that as an absolute upper limit for a new deal.

Question is; can Jake improve upon his consistent forty points per season – if that’s his peak form, then we don’t want to be paying upwards $5 million a term. Kasperi Kapanen puts up similar points and only earns $3.2 million for the Leafs, albeit with lesser term.

Hence you’re left asking; is it worth the Boston Bruins throwing money at Jake DeBrusk this summer or do you see what sort of assets you can trade him away for? It leaves a hole in the line-up, granted, but some might see that as better than an over-pay.

To renew or not to renew; for that is the question.