Boston Bruins: Revisiting the Three 2015 First Round Draft Picks

Left-wing Jake DeBrusk was selected at No. 14.

Of the three first-round picks in 2015, this is the one that has had the most impact in Boston. Son of former NHL player Louie DeBrusk, Jake is currently a restricted free agent after three solid years with the Bruins.

DeBrusk had 16 goals his rookie season in 2017-18 and then netted a career-high 27 a year later. Last season on the second line with veteran David Krejci, DeBrusk had 19 goals and 16 assists in 65 regular-season games. Coach Bruce Cassidy moved him to the Bruins top power-play unit at different times during the 2019-20 season and he responded with seven goals, one more than the previous season with the man advantage.

During the 2019 playoffs, he had four goals and seven assists in 24 games as the Bruins advanced to the Stanley Cup Final. This season in the Toronto playoff bubble, he had four goals in 13 games with a minus-3.

One issue that he has not been able to shake has been his inconsistent play at times, in a time when the Bruins struggled with secondary scoring behind their top line. Some of that last year could be contributed to the fact the DeBrusk and Krejci had a rotating door at right-wing. Cassidy was never able to find consistency on the second line and that is something they need to fix going forward whether or not DeBrusk returns.

Will the Bruins be going forward with DeBrusk as part of their future? That remains to be seen as he is still sitting on the market. Boston has $6,657,686 cap space available according to CapFriendly. How Sweeney decides to use that remaining money will have an impact on whether DeBrusk returns to Boston next season or not.