The bottom-six forwards for the Boston Bruins have not been great as of late. For some individual players, it’s been more than just as of late, it’s been the majority of the season. Players like Jake DeBrusk.
The high-energy winger that is also a free agent this summer is having the worst offensive season of his career – just four goals and seven assists in 34 games. As a result, DeBrusk’s been bumped off the second line with David Krejci and instead been playing alongside Charlie Coyle and Nick Ritchie for the most part.
But he won’t be in the lineup for Tuesday’s matchup at Pittsburgh, as the 24-year-old will be a healthy scratch for the second time this season. Trent Frederic will slide in on the fourth line with Curtis Lazar and Chris Wagner, with Sean Kuraly going up to third-line center and Coyle moving over to wing.
Cassidy on DeBrusk: "We need a higher compete level. ... It's not about individual stats. You need to help this team win."
— Matt Porter (@mattyports) April 27, 2021
As mentioned above, it’s not the first time DeBrusk has sat in the press box this season. And it certainly isn’t the first time his effort has been questioned by head coach Bruce Cassidy. Cassidy was critical of the forward’s play in early March, sitting him for a game against the New York Islanders. DeBrusk responded the next game with a goal and looked like a man on a mission in the Bruins’ 4-0 shutout against the New York Rangers.
DeBrusk has just two goals since that Rangers’ game, none coming since his downgrade to the third line with Ritchie and Coyle. For a guy who said before the season he wanted to add physicality to his game, DeBrusk has had five hits total all of April. He averages 15:25 ice-time in his career, but hasn’t hit the 15-minute mark in six games.
Despite the initial positive response from DeBrusk’s first healthy scratch, it seems Cassidy is back to square one with his winger. He’s not getting the high-motor and hard-nose forecheck that DeBrusk is known for. With the bottom-six struggling as of late, the Bruins need to figure out their bottom two lines in these next handful of regular-season games before playoffs come around. This means DeBrusk needs to prove he’s worthy of his third-line wing spot.
This is a wake-up call that for DeBrusk, his future in Boston, and the Bruins, needs to be his last.