After seven seasons with the Boston Bruins, DeBrusk could be in search of a new home.

• Player Overview
• What We Know
• Comparables
• Projection

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Player Overview

Originally selected 14th overall by Boston in the 2015 NHL Draft, Jake DeBrusk has spent his entire career with the organization.

The winger’s offensive ceiling isn’t wildly high, usually scoring at a points per 82 pace of about 20-25 goals and 40-50 points each season. That said, he’s a fairly well-rounded, hard-working forward with good speed and a solid defensive impact.

DeBrusk could fit into just about any middle-six group in the NHL, and if he does depart Boston, he’ll draw some interest in free agency.

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What We Know

• DeBrusk noted that he expected to have a new deal in place earlier, but that as of mid-May, he and the team had not spoken about his future in Boston.
• If DeBrusk hits free agency, The Fourth Period noted the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs as teams who could have interest.

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Comparables

Below, we take a look at what DeBrusk’s deal could look like at different lengths. For more information on the stats/tables used below, including how the payment rate in projections is determined, visit the About the Site page.

With DeBrusk turning 28 years old in October, the comparables used will generally be wingers who were near his age at the time of signing.

7/8 YEARS

A maximum-term deal for DeBrusk – whether that’s eight years with the Bruins, or seven years if he goes to free agency – is extremely unlikely.

I’ve only included comps for seven-year deals below, but even there, DeBrusk’s production is lower than every comp listed, aside from Pierre Engvall.

Player	Age	First Year of Contract	Signing Year G&P/82	Career G&P/82	Mid Point	Contract	On $88M Cap	Payment Rate	Projection
Jake DeBrusk	28	2024	19-41 80GP	24-47 465GP	22-44
Anders Lee	29	2019	28-51 82GP	29-50 425GP	29-51	$7.00M 7 years	$7.56M 7 years	1.48	$6.52M 7 years
Artemi Panarin	28	2019	29-90 79GP	30-81 322GP	30-86	$11.64M years	$12.57M 7 years	1.46	$6.43M 7 years
Evander Kane	27	2018	30-57 78GP	27-51 574GP	29-54	$7.00M 7 years	$7.75M 7 years	1.44	$6.31M 7 years
***Tom Wilson	30	2024	32-55 33GP	15-36 680GP	24-46	$6.50M 7 years	$6.50M 7 years	1.41	$6.22M 7 years
Milan Lucic	28	2016	20-56 81GP	20-50 647GP	20-53	$6.00M 7 years	$7.23M 7 years	1.36	$6.00M 7 years
*Chris Kreider	29	2020	33-62 60GP	25-50 520GP	38-56	$6.50M 7 years	$7.02M 7 years	1.25	$5.51M 7 years
**Cam Atkinson	29	2018	36-57 97GP	26-48 397GP	31-53	$5.88M 7 years	$6.51M 7 years	1.23	$5.40M 7 years
Kevin Fiala	26	2022	33-85 82GP	24-55 419GP	29-70	$7.88M 7 years	$8.41M 7 years	1.20	$5.28M 7 years
Troy Terry	26	2023	27-71 70GP	22-53 274GP	25-62	$7.00M 7 years	$7.38M 7 years	1.19	$5.24M 7 years
Kyle Okposo	28	2016	23-66 79GP	22-57 529GP	23-62	$6.00M 7 years	$7.23M 7 years	1.17	$5.13M 7 years
Zach Hyman	29	2021	29-63 43GP	20-44 345GP	25-54	$5.50M 7 years	$5.94M 7 years	1.10	$4.84M 7 years
Johnny Gaudreau	29	2022	40-115 82GP	29-83 602GP	35-99	$9.75M 7 years	$10.40M 7 years	1.05	$4.62M 7 years
Pierre Engvall	27	2023	18-32 76GP	16-31 244GP	17-32	$3.00M 7 years	$3.16M 7 years	0.99	$4.35M 7 years

Still, using comparables to create a projection for the term, they’d have him between $4.3M on the low end, up to $6.5M on the high end. Perhaps a team would give more term if it meant keeping the cap hit down around the lower portion of this range, but again, a seven-year deal is very unlikely, based on DeBrusk having lower production than almost any other forward who signs a seven or eight-year deal at his age.

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6 YEARS

At six years, we get a more realistic look at what’s probably the most term DeBrusk could get on his deal.

Player	Age	First Year of Contract	Signing Year G&P/82	Career G&P/82	Mid Point	Contract	On $88M Cap	Payment Rate	Projection
Jake DeBrusk	28	2024	19-41 80GP	24-47 465GP	22-44
*Brendan Gallagher	29	2021	33-54 35GP	26-50 582GP	30-52	$6.50M 6 years	$7.02M 6 years	1.35	$5.94M 6 years
Blake Coleman	30	2021	21-46 55GP	19-34 301GP	20-40	$4.90M 6 years	$5.29M 6 years	1.32	$5.82M 6 years
*Nick Foligno	28	2015	41-77 34GP	17-39 500GP	29-58	$5.50M 6 years	$6.78M 6 years	1.17	$5.14M 6 years
Rickard Rakell	29	2022	23-48 70GP	23-51 569GP	23-50	$5.00M 6 years	$5.33M 6 years	1.07	$4.69M 6 years
*Josh Bailey	29	2018	21-88 58GP	14-43 697GP	18-66	$5.00M 6 years	$5.53M 6 years	0.84	$3.69M 6 years
Bryan Rust	30	2022	33-79 60GP	24-52 424GP	29-66	$5.13M 6 years	$5.47M 6 years	0.83	$3.65M 6 years

With the comps, we see projections ranging from $3.65M on the low end, up to $5.95M on the high end. At the same time, there’s a trend with the two comps at the bottom of the table: with both Josh Bailey and Bryan Rust, both were in the midst of a huge outlier year with their production, compared to their career production. As a result, it likely played a large role in a lower payment rate. So realistically, the range is probably between the projection from the Rickard Rakell contract at $4.7M, up to that $5.95M mark.

Within the four comps for that range, one thing that stands out is the Blake Coleman deal, which projects DeBrusk up at about $5.8M. Coleman was coming off back-to-back Stanley Cups, and much like other players who left the team afterwards (such as Barclay Goodrow), they were paid at a premium on their contract. With DeBrusk not in the same situation, we can likely expect him to be at the lower end of the range. While it would be difficult to see him slipping under $5M on a six-year term, somewhere between the Coleman projection ($5.8M) and the $5M mark – possibly around the projection from the Nick Foligno deal ($5.14M) – is likely the range for a six-year deal.

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5 YEARS

Five years is another realistic term for DeBrusk, with a majority of players who signed at this term having similar production to the winger.

Player	Age	First Year of Contract	Signing Year G&P/82	Career G&P/82	Mid Point	Contract	On $88M Cap	Payment Rate	Projection
Jake DeBrusk	28	2024	19-41 80GP	24-47 465GP	22-44
*Jakob Silfverberg	29	2019	23-35 56GP	19-40 475GP	21-38	$5.25M 5 years	$5.67M 5 years	1.49	$6.56M 5 years
James van Riemsdyk	29	2018	36-55 81GP	27-53 609GP	32-54	$7.00M 5 years	$7.75M 5 years	1.43	$6.31M 5 years
Matt Beleskey	27	2015	28-40 65GP	14-28 329GP	21-34	$3.80M 5 years	$4.68M 5 years	1.38	$6.06M 5 years
Michael Frolik	27	2015	19-42 82GP	15-38 512GP	17-40	$4.30M 5 years	$5.30M 5 years	1.32	$5.83M 5 years
Artturi Lehkonen	27	2022	21-42 74GP	16-31 412GP	19-37	$4.50M 5 years	$4.80M 5 years	1.30	$5.71M 5 years
Ivan Barbashev	28	2023	16-45 82GP	16-37 433GP	16-41	$5.00M 5 years	$5.27M 5 years	1.29	$5.65M 5 years
Reilly Smith	26	2016	25-50 82GP	18-43 285GP	22-47	$5.00M 5 years	$6.03M 5 years	1.28	$5.64M 5 years
Jordan Eberle	29	2019	20-39 78GP	26-59 666GP	23-49	$5.50M 5 years	$5.94M 5 years	1.21	$5.33M 5 years
Craig Smith	26	2015	23-44 82GP	19-43 277GP	21-44	4.25M 5 years	$5.24M 5 years	1.19	$5.24M 5 years
Jaden Schwartz	29	2021	16-43 40GP	23-56 560GP	20-50	$5.50M 5 years	$5.94M 5 years	1.19	$5.23M 5 years
Jason Zucker	26	2018	33-64 82GP	24-43 340GP	29-54	$5.50M 5 years	$6.09M 5 years	1.13	$4.96M 5 years
Ondrej Palat	26	2017	19-57 75GP	20-58 307GP	20-58	$5.30M 5 years	$6.22M 5 years	1.07	$4.72M 5 years
Andre Burkovsky	27	2022	23-63 80GP	19-47 519GP	21-55	$5.50M 5 years	$5.87M 5 years	1.07	$4.69M 5 years
Oliver Bjorkstrand	26	2021	26-64 49GP	22-48 305GP	24-56	$5.40M 5 years	$5.83M 5 years	1.04	$4.58M 5 years

With the five-year deals, we see projections between about $4.55M to $6.55M. Still, of the 14 projections, only three come in above $5.85M, and only three others come in below $4.95M, leaving eight comps within that pretty defined range.

Of the projections though, two of them stand out a bit. One is Ivan Barbashev’s deal from last summer, which would project a $5.65M deal for DeBrusk. Barbashev had fairly similar production to DeBrusk, but similar to the Coleman situation with a six-year deal, he was coming right off a Stanley Cup win, which inevitably drove up his value. As a result, we’re likely looking below that projection.

Another good comp would be Craig Smith, who had very similar production to DeBrusk, and had him projected at roughly a $5.25M cap hit on a five-year deal. So once again, we’re seeing DeBrusk in a similar range as for a six-year deal, likely between $5M on the low end, to $5.5M on the high end.

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4 YEARS

Four years would probably be the shortest term we’d see for a DeBrusk deal. It would have him re-entering the market at 32 years old after the deal expires, which doesn’t set him up overly well for another big payday later. So if DeBrusk can get more term, he’s likely to take it.

Player	Age	First Year of Contract	Signing Year G&P/82	Career G&P/82	Mid Point	Contract	On $88M Cap	Payment Rate	Projection
Jake DeBrusk	28	2024	19-41 80GP	24-47 465GP	22-44
Tomas Tatar	27	2017	25-46 82GP	24-46 345GP	25-46	$5.30M 4 years	$6.22M 4 years	1.35	$5.95M 4 years
Kyle Palmieri	30	2021	16-34 51GP	25-48 612GP	21-41	$5.00M 4 years	$5.40M 4 years	1.32	$5.80M 4 years
Carl Hagelin	27	2015	17-35 82GP	18-40 266GP	18-38	$4.00M 4 years	$4.93M 4 years	1.30	$5.71M 4 years
Alex DeBrincat	26	2023	27-66 82GP	24-68 450GP	26-67	$7.88M 4 years	$8.28M 4 years	1.24	$5.44M 4 years
Adrian Kempe	26	2022	37-57 78GP	19-39 390GP	28-48	$5.50M 4 years	$5.87M 4 years	1.22	$5.38M 4 years
Joonas Donskoi	27	2019	14-38 80GP	13-35 283GP	14-37	$3.90M 4 years	$4.21M 4 years	1.14	$5.01M 4 years
Mike Hoffman	27	2016	30-62 78GP	26-50 186GP	28-56	$5.19M 4 years	$6.26M 4 years	1.12	$4.92M 4 years
Mathieu Perreault	29	2017	10-47 71GP	18-41 361GP	18-44	$4.13M 4 years	$4.85M 4 years	1.10	$4.85M 4 years
*Mats Zuccarello	28	2015	16-51 60GP	17-52 204GP	17-52	$4.50M 4 years	$5.55M 4 years	1.07	$4.69M 4 years
Gustav Nyquist	30	2019	22-61 81GP	21-50 500GP	22-56	$5.50M 4 years	$5.94M 4 years	1.06	$4.67M 4 years
Mikkel Boedker	27	2016	17-52 80GP	15-40 463GP	16-46	$4.00M 4 years	$4.82M 4 years	1.05	$4.61M 4 years
Taylor Hall	30	2021	15-51 53GP	27-72 680GP	21-62	$6.00M 4 years	$6.48M 4 years	1.04	$4.60M 4 years
Pavel Buchnevich	26	2021	30-73 54GP	22-53 301GP	26-63	$5.80M 4 years	$6.26M 4 years	0.99	$4.37M 4 years
Brett Connolly	27	2019	22-47 81GP	15-30 427GP	19-39	$3.50M 4 years	$3.78M 4 years	0.97	$4.26M 4 years
Anthony Mantha	26	2020	31-72 43GP	26-55 260GP	29-64	$5.70M 4 years	$6.15M 4 years	0.96	$4.23M 4 years
Micheal Ferland	27	2019	20-46 71GP	15-33 321GP	18-40	$3.50M 4 years	$3.78M 4 years	0.94	$4.16M 4 years
*Alex Iafallo	28	2021	23-53 40GP	16-39 267GP	20-46	$4.00M 4 years	$4.32M 4 years	0.94	$4.13M 4 years
Tyler Toffoli	28	2020	29-53 68GP	23-47 525GP	26-50	$4.25M 4 years	$4.59M 4 years	0.92	$4.04M 4 years

With the 18 projections, every one of them falls between $4M and $6M, so once again, we’re seeing a fairly similar range.

That said, it’s difficult to differentiate between these deals in terms of trying to determine a more precise number within that range. Of the deals, only six of them would project DeBrusk at $5M or more, with 12 of them projecting him between $4M and $5M. Given the projections for five and six-year deals would have him between the $5M and $5.5M mark though, it points to the fact that less term is very unlikely to point to a higher cap hit for DeBrusk (and possibly the opposite).

So if DeBrusk does scratch the $5M mark on a four-year deal, he’s likely not coming in much above it at all.

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3 YEARS

At three years, we’re verging into unlikely term for the deal.

Player	Age	First Year of Contract	Signing Year G&P/82	Career G&P/82	Mid Point	Cap Hit	On $88M Cap	Payment Rate	Projection
Jake DeBrusk	28	2024	19-41 80GP	24-47 465GP	22-44
Andrew Mangiapane	26	2022	35-55 82GP	25-42 260GP	30-49	$5.80M 3 years	$6.19M 3 years	1.26	$5.56M 3 years
Sam Reinhart	26	2021	38-61 54GP	24-53 454GP	31-57	$6.50M 3 years	$6.99M 3 years	1.2	$5.40M 3 years
Jamie McGinn	28	2016	21-38 84GP	17-30 450GP	19-34	$3.33M 3 years	$4.01M 3 years	1.18	$5.19M 3 years
Marcus Johansson	26	2016	19-51 74GP	15-45 419GP	17-48	$4.58M 3 years	$5.52M 3 years	1.15	$5.06M 3 years
*Cam Atkinson	26	2015	18-35 58GP	21-40 199GP	20-38	$3.50M 3 years	$4.31M 3 years	1.13	$4.99M 3 years
Frank Vatrano	28	2022	21-37 71GP	21-35 401GP	21-36	$3.65M 3 years	$3.89M 3 years	1.08	$4.76M 3 years
**Marcus Foligno	30	2021	15-35 59GP	11-27 565GP	13-31	$3.10M 3 years	$3.35M 3 years	1.08	$4.75M 3 years
*Tanner Pearson	29	2021	15-27 33GP	19-38 490GP	17-33	$3.25M 3 years	$3.51M 3 years	1.06	$4.68M 3 years
**Robby Fabbri	26	2022	25-44 59GP	19-41 275GP	22-43	$4.00M 3 years	$4.27M 3 years	0.99	$4.37M 3 years
Michael Bunting	27	2023	23-49 82GP	25-55 187GP	24-52	$4.50M 3 years	$4.74M 3 years	0.91	$4.01M 3 years
Connor Brown	26	2020	18-50 71GP	15-36 324GP	17-43	$3.60M 3 years	$3.89M 3 years	0.90	$3.98M 3 years
***Ryan Hartman	30	2024	21-51 59GP	17-38 506GP	19-45	$4.00M 3 years	$4.00M 3 years	0.89	$3.91M 3 years

With the comps for three-year deals, the two forwards with the highest payment rate were those who had significant goal totals in their signing year, at a pace of 35 per 82 or above. Meanwhile, all other forwards listed below scored at a pace of 25 goals per 82 or less in their signing year – so right away, we can tell DeBrusk likely doesn’t fall into the realm of the highest projections on the table for a three-year deal.

As a result, we’re likely looking at the $3.9M projection from the Ryan Hartman contract on the low end, to the $5.2M projection from the Jamie McGinn contract on the high end. Like the comps for four-year deals, we’re starting to see a good chunk of the comps come in below the $5M mark though. Of the 11 comps, we also see a pretty defined range from five of them, all between $4.68M and $5.06M.

One of the comps that acts as a solid projection is Frank Vatrano. It’s one of the most recent contracts and Vatrano was the same age as DeBrusk in the first year of the contract, with similar goal totals as well. As a result, the payment rate from the Vatrano contract, projecting a $4.75M cap hit, is a fair prediction for the unlikely scenario where DeBrusk takes a three-year deal.

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2 YEARS

DeBrusk may be coming off back-to-back two-year deals, but the likelihood of another is low. His last two contracts were signed as a restricted free agent, and still at just 28 years old, he’s set himself up for a longer deal.

Player	Age	First Year of Contract	Signing Year G&P/82	Career G&P/82	Mid Point	Cap Hit	On $88M Cap	Payment Rate	Projection
Jake DeBrusk	28	2024	19-41 80GP	24-47 465GP	22-44
Andreas Athanasiou	29	2023	20-40 81GP	22-42 459GP	21-41	$4.25M 2 years	$4.48M 2 years	1.09	$4.81M 2 years
Marcus Johansson	29	2019	18-42 58GP	17-47 588GP	18-45	$4.50M 2 years	$4.86M 2 years	1.08	$4.75M 2 years
**Jake DeBrusk	26	2022	21-37 58GP	22-43 302GP	22-40	$4.00M 2 years	$4.27M 2 years	1.07	$4.69M 2 years
David Perron	28	2016	14-42 71GP	20-48 570GP	17-45	$3.75M 2 years	$4.52M 2 years	1.00	$4.42M 2 years
*Tyler Bertuzzi	26	2021	27-56 80GP	21-50 208GP	24-53	$4.75M 2 years	$5.11M 2 years	0.96	$4.24M 2 years
Viktor Olofsson	27	2022	23-56 72GP	24-55 188GP	24-56	$4.75M 2 years	$5.07M 2 years	0.91	$3.98M 2 years
Erik Haula	30	2021	14-34 51GP	17-35 456GP	16-35	$2.38M 2 years	$2.57M 2 years	0.73	$3.97M 2 years
Ryan Dzingel	27	2019	27-59 78GP	20-42 268GP	24-51	$3.38M 2 years	$3.65M 2 years	0.72	$3.86M 2 years
Dominik Kubalik	27	2022	16-34 78GP	25-47 202GP	21-41	$2.50M 2 years	$2.67M 2 years	0.65	$3.52M 2 years
Alexander Barabanov	28	2022	12-46 70GP	12-42 92GP	12-44	$2.50M 2 years	$2.67M 2 years	0.61	$3.28M 2 years

If we did see him on another two-year contract though, projections would have him at somewhere between about $3.3M and $4.8M. From DeBrusk’s perspective though, there’s almost no reason to take a two-year deal if it’s lower than his current cap hit, with a possible pay-cut representing about half of these projections for that length.

As a result, we can expect probably he’s only taking a two-year deal if 1) he can’t get to a number he likes on a longer deal and 2) it’s higher than his current cap hit. In a scenario where a two-year deal at a reduced rate was his best offer, it arguably makes more sense to just go for a one-year deal, to try to bet on himself upping his production for a bigger deal next summer.

Again, a two-year deal is one of the least likely terms for a DeBrusk contract, but if he signed for that length, it’s likely coming in on the higher end of these projections. The payment rate from DeBrusk’s own most recent contract would have him up around the $4.7M mark, and somewhere around that range would likely be the expectation.

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1 YEAR

One-year deals have become more popular for free agents recently, but there’s little chance of this being the case with DeBrusk.

Player	Age	First Year of Contract	Signing Year G&P/82	Career G&P/82	Mid Point	Cap Hit	On $88M Cap	Payment Rate	Projection
Jake DeBrusk	28	2024	19-41 80GP	24-47 465GP	22-44
Tyler Bertuzzi	28	2023	13-49 326GP	23-55 326GP	18-52	$5.50M 1 year	$5.80M 1 year	1.11	$4.90M 1 year
Mikael Granlund	28	2020	22-39 63GP	17-53 540GP	20-46	$3.75M 1 year	$4.05M 1 year	0.88	$3.87M 1 year
Andreas Athanasiou	27	2021	17-40 47GP	22-42 350GP	20-41	$2.70M 1 year	$2.92M 1 year	0.71	$3.12M 1 year
Max Domi	27	2022	13-44 72GP	17-51 501GP	15-48	$3.00M 1 year	$3.20M 1 year	0.67	$2.95M 1 year
Mike Hoffman	30	2021	34-70 69GP	29-60 493GP	32-65	$4.00M 1 year	$4.32M 1 year	0.66	$2.90M 1 year
Max Domi	28	2023	21-57 80GP	17-52 581GP	19-55	$3.00M 1 year	$3.16M 1 year	0.56	$2.46M 1 year
Erik Haula	29	2020	21-41 48GP	17-35 405GP	19-38	$1.75M 1 year	$1.89M 1 year	0.50	$2.20M 1 year

Based on the seven comps above, six of them would project DeBrusk taking a pay-cut on a one-year deal. Perhaps he could end up closer to the high end of this range, a little below the $4.9M that the Bertuzzi deal suggests, but unless that’s the case, there’s really no reason to even take a one-year contract, in an effort to boost value.

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Projection

Based on comparables, a deal between four and six years remains the most likely term for DeBrusk’s contract.

Term	Projected Cap hit	Maximum Cap Hit	Minimum Cap Hit
4 Years	$5.00M	$5.50M	$4.50M
5 Years	$5.25M	$6.00M	$4.75M
6 Years	$5.25M	$6.00M	$5.00M

While unlikely, there’s also a chance DeBrusk could get a seven or eight-year deal.

Term	Projected Cap hit	Maximum Cap Hit	Minimum Cap Hit
7/8 Years	$5.00M	$6.00M	$5.00M

If DeBrusk opted for a shorter-term deal, projections for contracts from one to three years are listed below as well.

Term	Projected Cap hit	Maximum Cap Hit	Minimum Cap Hit
1 Year	$4.50M	$5.00M	$4.00M
2 Years	$4.75M	$5.00M	$4.00M
3 Years	$4.75M	$5.00M	$4.00M