Agent: Bruins, DeBrusk working to facilitate trade

Jake DeBrusk has asked the Boston Bruins for a trade, his agent, Rick Valette, confirmed to TSN's Ryan Rishaug.

DeBrusk will remain with the Bruins as the club tries to facilitate the request, Rishaug added.

The news comes after head coach Bruce Cassidy made the 25-year-old a healthy scratch for the Bruins' game against the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night.

"I think what happens with Jake, and what we've seen over the last few years, is that when the production is there, you're getting more second effort," Cassidy said Sunday of his decision. "They kind of go hand-in-hand. And when it's not there, we lose a little bit of that.

"And that's been the ask of him for a number of years now. No drop-off on this side of the ledger just because the production isn't there. Any 20-goal scorer still only scores once every four games, right? ... You still need the other things."

Cassidy added: "I'd like to see him impact the game with his foot speed every night in some way shape or form; whether it's forecheck, attacking the net, penalty kill, whatever the case may be."

DeBrusk has often been a staple in the Bruins' top six, but he's fallen out of favor in recent campaigns due to his inconsistent play. He recorded 14 points in 41 games last season before registering six points in 17 contests this campaign.

The Bruins selected DeBrusk 14th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. He scored a career-high 43 points during his rookie season in 2017-18 and notched a career-high 27 goals in 2018-19. He's set to become a restricted free agent after this season.

Copyright (C) 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.