According to Fluto Shinzawa, a Bruins reporter for The Athletic, the Edmonton Oilers are still interested in Bruins Forward Jake DeBrusk. The cost is expected to be a player of DeBrusk’s profile: An underperforming player with potential to improve on a different team.
Despite adding multiple depth forwards this offseason, it seems as though the Oilers want to continue to shake up their roster. Jake DeBrusk is a name that has been brought up before and is now being brought up again. The struggling forward only had 14 points in 41 games last season with Boston. In his career, the 24-year-old has put up an impressive 134 points in 244 games.
The Oilers could definitely use some extra scoring in their middle to bottom 6 group, and DeBrusk could be that guy, but it’s tough to try and predict who the Oilers may give up in exchange for him. I have created a shortlist of possible players, that the Oilers could trade for him.
Zack Kassian
Kassian’s name has come up in trade rumors recently, as some teams are looking to add more grit into their lineup. If the Oilers were to add a sweetener, Boston could be one of the teams that take on Kassian in exchange for DeBrusk.
Kassian put up 5 points in 27 games last season with the Oilers, so he likely won’t bring the same offensive impact that DeBrusk does, but his grittiness and willingness to stand up for his teammates in any scenario, is something that the Bruins need in their lineup, and with Boston being a cup contender this upcoming season, Kassian could bring that extra spark.
Josh Archibald
Archibald has played bottom 6 minutes all throughout his tenure with the Oilers. Last season, he put up 13 points in 52 games, according to NHL.Com. The Oilers, again, may have to add a sweetener for this deal to work, but Archibald is someone who could benefit strongly from a change of scenery.
Archibald has recorded 70 points in 235 career games, and like Kassian, doesn’t bring the same offensive impact that DeBrusk does. But, Archibald is a gritty player. Always willing to battle in the corners with anyone, even if they are much bigger than he is, and his hockey IQ seems to be improving year after year.
Kailer Yamamoto
This one is more of a Bruins fan’s dream, but let me explain.
Yamamoto put up 21 points in 52 games last season, and has 52 points in 105 total games with the Oilers, according to NHL.Com. The 22-year-old is just getting started and is way more valuable right now than DeBrusk.
Kailer Yamamoto has yet to re-sign with the Oilers, and the team is quite tight with money. They don’t want him to be offer sheeted and lose the young star in the making for nothing if they can’t afford him. It’s well known that he doesn’t want to leave Edmonton, but the Oilers cap situation may leave the team with a big decision to make. If Boston retains salary on DeBrusk, they can flip Yamamoto for DeBrusk and draft picks, and be left with a bit of money to work with come the deadline.
The only way this trade comes to fruition is if Yamamoto accepts higher pay elsewhere, and puts the Oilers in a position to move his contract. I don’t expect this to happen in a million years, but it’s just food for thought. I truly believe Yamamoto will be back on a deal in the range of $2-2.5M AAV, over 2-3 seasons.
To answer the question, I don’t think DeBrusk is a solid option. The Bruins likely won’t accept a deal the Oilers give them, as they see DeBrusk’s value as higher than Edmonton does. He could be solid if we didn’t have to pay too much for him, but I think the price is a little too high, and considering our options, I’d rather keep our forward lineup the way we have it now.