Bruins Rumors: Jake DeBrusk Talks Stalling; A 2nd Western Team In Pursuit

It doesn't appear that the Boston Bruins and Jake DeBrusk are any closer to an extension as he edges ever-closer to unrestricted free agency on July 1st. "Negotiation is a two-way street,” said GM Don Sweeney. “We’ve (taken) an aggressive position with Jake, which is no different than other players that have chosen not to resign and explore,” Sweeney said.

We reported earlier this week that the Seattle Kraken are a team that could pursue the Bruins' middle-six scorer, now we are hearing that another Western Conference team has interest in the three-time 25-goal man.

Spencer Lazary of The Hockey News has reported that the former Arizona Coyotes will come calling on DeBrusk if he hits the open market. "Utah will try and sign him long-term" according to the report.

The word around the team is that they are preparing to spend this off-season making their team as competitive as possible.
DeBrusk brings a valuable combination of offensive skill and maturity to a team, traits that would enhance the team's scoring depth and overall competitiveness.

DeBrusk dropped to 19 goals this season, but had scored in excess of 25 the previous two campaigns.

The Utah franchise has plenty of cap space to work with, so meeting DeBrusk's price point shouldn't be an issue. The 27-year-old is coming off a two-year, $8 million deal with the Bruins, and this time around as an impending UFA, is looking for a contract with some term. Since his three-year entry-level contract expired, Boston has only re-upped with DeBrusk on a pair of two-year contracts. That won't get it done this time around.

In addition, he'll be seeking a raise from the $4M AAV. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff predicts a five-year deal in the $6 million AAV range for DeBrusk.

As mentioned, the Utah club, in need of some scoring, can afford that. The big question is, can the Bruins?