Jake DeBrusk has requested a trade from the Boston Bruins, his agent confirmed to ESPN.
DeBrusk, 25, has played all five of his NHL seasons with the Bruins, tallying 70 goals and 70 assists in 261 games. Boston selected the left winger 14th overall in the 2015 NHL draft.
He’s in the last year of a two-year contract ($3.675 million average annual value) that he signed in November 2020 and becomes a restricted free agent after the season.
DeBrusk has seen his ice time sharply decline with the Bruins over the last two seasons. In 2019-20, he was averaging 16:03 per game as the team’s second-line left wing. Last season that ice time decreased to 14:54 per game, and this season it’s down to 14:24. DeBrusk also saw his power-play ice time drop significantly from the 2019-20 season.
Agent Rick Valette made the request of the Bruins over the weekend, saying that DeBrusk needs a fresh start with another team. He said there’s no timeline from the Bruins for facilitating that request.
DeBrusk has three goals and three assists in 17 games this season. He has eclipsed 40 points twice in his career, with a best of 43 in his rookie season.