Jake DeBrusk Talks His Upcoming Free Agency, Reflects On What Could Be Final Season In Boston

Jake DeBrusk Talks His Upcoming Free Agency, Reflects On What Could Be Final Season In Boston

G but now that you’ve had time to decompress um you know when you look back on on your season personally um some ups and downs you know how would you characterize it yeah I think that it was um yeah kind of like you said honestly I think that they looked at as a lot of ups and downs I think that you know starting the year off playing with Maddie um you know kind of helping a young guy through through his first you know goal I remember his goal in Anaheim I think that was that was an awesome moment and um but I remember playing with him um playing against top lines um from pretty much the get- go of the season um you know kind of switching around through trying to find out you know obviously our best lineup for our team um you know I think that there’s a lot of differences where I was playing the left and the right and um you know lots of different PK minutes um uh and just different situations so I felt like I was kind of learning honestly a lot this year I think that uh the defensive side of the game is something that you know takes years for guys to master and um I think that I made um some positive steps in there I made some big time mistakes as well but uh uh you do uh when you’re trying to get better in that area and then um I think it uh for me personally ended off pretty well in the playoffs um I wish I still could have done more but in saying that I think that I did uh I guess what I wanted to do now looking at do you think all all that that you mentioned plus the hand was appreciated by management and coaching staff and everything um yeah I mean I think anytime that even you know um obviously that’s who you want as a player is for for that in general but I think it’s more so on your teammates you know I think that you want your teammates to respect you the most um that’s who you go to battle with every single day obviously but I think so yeah I think that anytime someone’s playing through something it obviously uh brings different level but uh I think it was a little crazy at the beginning and then uh I kind of sewered myself so I was uh I was stuck with it Jak what are you prioritizing in free agency sorry what are you prioritizing in free AG um to win I think that’s something that I um I want I think I’ve been now this is my haven’t time in the playoffs um you know I’ve got a lot of experience playing games obviously was close in 19 um that’s the biggest thing I think that’s that’s all I want to do now is to win to stand the cup so um that’s that’s number one priority um just going to go and uh yeah that’s that’s probably I guess what I’d look for do you have a feeling like what your worth is and do you have a feeling what the Bruins feel like your worth is as far as uh mov forward uh yeah I think that um you know I haven’t actually talked to management today yet so um you know I don’t have any necessarily new updates on that side of things but um I think I have a pretty good understanding of what other I guess what the market is in that sense of the word uh it’s not that hard you just got to look at certain guy stats and things like that and uh and just go from there but uh I understand kind of I guess the range um you know the cap going up and everything like that it obviously will be different um but in saying that uh I’m not going to say I’m a no at all obviously there’s uh logistic things that are different do you see a path forward here or you is it looking more like it might be elsewhere yeah I see a path here I mean uh I think I’ve said it all year you know I I have lots of still have hope and um you know if you told me at the beginning the year I’d be here without a contract I probably would wouldn’t believe you but um at the same time I mean uh you know I’ve always loved my time here and um there’s a lot of great memories even from my rookie season to uh like I said now seventh year I guess in the playoffs so lots of good memories and lots of good um things that you know um hit you on the emotional side of things I guess in the sense of when you’re thinking about um I guess the other side but you know sitting here I haven’t talked to management I not exactly sure still feels fresh that we lost um and uh you know I hope like I said it works out I’ve pretty much said that all year Jake I think you were the last guy to peel your uniform off in 2019 when they lost in seven games at the St Louis it seemed like you were still sitting there in full uniform processing it U what’s changed in going forward and you know as you gain experience in life and in and in and in hockey U you know what what have you picked up from from uh these experiences and disappointments the way things end yeah a lot of hard lessons to be honest with you um seems like that was forever ago but um yeah I think that you obviously um do everything you can to to win um and I think that when um the group doesn’t come together and it’s tough you know it’s tough hard lessons and um you just Tred uh can’t really understand why sometimes you know I think that’s probably why I was still in my gears I couldn’t you know I just my mind doesn’t work that way um but um you know I I think you look at it where you have to take lessons you know um I know I’m going to be in this league I know I’m going to be having hopefully another chances to go for that goal and um you just don’t want to feel that feeling again so I think that’s kind of what I take about it sural you know drafted in 15 you go through the dev camps you make the team you have your career to think today could be the last day in the building yeah I mean obviously uh you know I think that that’s something that uh Creeps in your mind um you know it sucks it’s not a good feeling to think about and you know even we were staying at the hotel where we where I stayed at that first development camp where we stayed at you know when I first played my NHL game um even in the playoffs you know it’s one of those things that uh I hate to be honest it sucks um but in saying that I think that I still have hope that it’ll all work out um and um you know that’s what I want to do obviously but um yeah if this is um yeah if this is my last time in the building I think I’ll probably decompress that more when I guess that’s finalized on your side so um but it’s hard uh I guess when you don’t have a deal up to this point I to think that are you surprised you think have deal done during the the season um yeah but but I understand business is business you know I think that there’s um you know I’ve been here for a while I’ve seen lots of deals get done with guys and things so I kind of understand I guess what their um their side is and how they usually operate so I wasn’t necessarily like completely surprised but um I thought I’d be done um I thought that uh things would all work out earlier I guess but in saying that um you know this year was really stressful around me and it it took a lot so I’m just looking forward to getting away you know that’s D when you look at your last three years what you most proud of you know going from trade request getting back to being you know playoff Jake if you will you know you know what are you most proud of yeah I think um probably that I think probably the way you know I think probably just how I play in the playoffs I think that uh you know um there’s been some good years bad years in the playoffs but I think the one thing I was proud of is I felt you know I wish I did it more obviously this run but I felt like a SC some um timely goals for the team and I think that’s something that I’ve done since I’ve been younger and um probably my first playoffs honestly just in general I think was uh probably the Highlight for me um you know I think that there’s some like I said some big moments but I think it’s just how I played in the playoffs um felt that I gained a lot of confidence I think I played almost 80 or 90 something games so I had a lot of trial and err and there but um you know that’s when the chips are down and um I think that I have a pretty good good understanding what it takes

Boston Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk spoke about his upcoming free agency decision, exiting the 2023-24 NHL season without a contract with the black and gold.