Boston Bruins: What to expect from Jake DeBrusk in 2021
By Matt Hawkins
What should we expect from Boston Bruins’ left wing Jake DeBrusk in 2021?
After having a pretty good season in each of his first two years in the NHL, Boston Bruins‘ left wing Jake DeBrusk struggled a bit in 2019-20.
In each of his first two seasons, DeBrusk scored at least 40 points. His rookie season saw him record 16 goals and 27 assists for 43 points in 70 games, while his sophomore season saw him break out as a goal scorer with 27 goals and 15 assists for 42 points in 68 games.
However, DeBrusk couldn’t find the same success in his third NHL season, registering just 19 goals and 16 assists for 35 points in 65 games. DeBrusk’s biggest issue was his inconsistency, or, well, actually his consistency to go several games without scoring.
Either way, DeBrusk has now gone two seasons with more goals than assists, solidifying himself as more of a goal scorer than a playmaker. His goals per game has gone from 0.23 to 0.40 to 0.29 and his assists per game has gone from 0.39 to 0.22 to 0.25.
In 2021, I expect DeBrusk to have his best season in regard to points per game. I think he’ll his goals per game and assists per game will be close together like this year, but they’ll be higher.
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Last year, DeBrusk struggled being able to consistently put together several games where he scored. I think this is due to the rotating door that was his right wing. This year, I believe he’ll be more consistent due to his right wing being consistent, whether it’s Craig Smith or Ondrej Kase.
With that being said, I think DeBrusk will have a goals per game of 0.35 and and assists per game of 0.30, leaving him with a career-best points per game of 0.65.
If DeBrusk ends up playing all 56 games this season, this means he would finish with 20 goals and 17 assists for 37 points.
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After signing his two-year extension, DeBrusk has shown that he’s excited and ready to start this season. With a new found motivation and two solid options at his right wing, I think he’ll have a bounce-back season in 2021.