Free Agency Deep Dive: Jake DeBrusk
Free Agency Deep Dive: Jake DeBrusk
Beefing up the Canucks' front line
Even before a knee injury caused Elias Pettersson to fade down the stretch, you had to wonder whether the 176-pound center’s game would translate to playoff hockey. That remains a major question mark for a team that committed eight years and a whopping $92.8 million to the 2017 fifth overall pick.
In an effort to support that investment, Vancouver signed Jake DeBrusk (7 years, $5.5M AAV) in free agency. The longtime Bruin earns his money in the trenches, which should keep Pettersson in the fight when the going gets tough.
Here’s why.
Board Play
DeBrusk may not be an extraordinary physical specimen (6’1”, 198 lbs), but he’s still quite a handful down low.
That’s due to his hustle and fearlessness. You won’t catch him lazily fishing for or flying by pucks. He ensures that he’s within striking distance prior to engaging, sticking his nose straight into the pile and whacking away to see if any pucks might shake free.
His penchant for incorporating both stick and body in 50/50s reveals a taste for clutter. Rubber has a habit of colliding with him (BOS 74) because he brings more mass to the party:
For all of DeBrusk’s effectiveness along the wall, there’s a…clumsy heft at play. He barrels through the door Kramer style in order to reach his spot and wreak havoc. Rather than exploding through opponents or pickpocketing them, he applies heavy pressure through proximity. He stays in your face. Ergo, he stays too close to the puck for comfort.
In addition to his work rate, he’s a fairly disciplined forechecker who understands his assignment. He rarely doubles down on one side, sealing his end to funnel you into his teammates’ waiting arms.
We can see those two traits in the following sequence:
Whereas many forwards would hug the boards ASAP and call it a day, DeBrusk takes his pursuit a few steps further. By skating for that extra beat, he puts himself in position to discourage the reverse and poke the puck off Marc Staal’s (PHI 18) stick at the same time. Brad Marchand (BOS 63) recovers it, and the Bruins consequently generate a pair of slot shots.
DeBrusk’s in-possession play tells a different story. A high-motor winger becomes a surprisingly patient cycler who’s willing to stall and absorb punishment to improve his club’s outlook.
He also displays a natural feel for escape routes and allows that leverage advantage to dictate his destination.
The Leafs rediscovered those tendencies in Round 1:
After using the glass to roll with Morgan Rielly’s (TOR 44) check, he notices that he’s first to regain his posture and Hampus Lindholm (BOS 27) is serving as insulation from Calle Jarnkrok (TOR 19). Daylight. DeBrusk swivels to secure the biscuit, cruises behind the cage and spots a sinking Brandon Carlo (BOS 25) for a huge 2-0 marker.
The eighth-year pro trades the easy way out for the grind—and his tenacity extends the attack and curtails DZ time. Therefore, his squad controls the lion’s share of the action:
He posted those results in pretty tough minutes. Moreover, he’s shown in the past that he can hang on scoring and matchup lines.
No matter where he’s deployed, the Canucks will profit from his industry.
Net-Front Offense
Finding suitable partners for Pettersson without resorting to The Lotto Line (a configuration that depletes any semblance of scoring depth) has proven challenging. Outside of the undersized Nils Hoglander, Vancouver’s top-six wingers weren’t really adept at crashing the goalmouth last season.
This had two consequences come playoff time:
The impact of Pettersson’s passing ability was limited.
Realizing that there weren’t other urgent threats out there, defenders could mark him more aggressively and stymie his goal scoring as well.
DeBrusk’s arrival may change those calculations and offer Pettersson some breathing room. In spite of middling net-front fundamentals (he’s neither a great screener nor deflector), he racks up prime scoring chances through consistency.
The 27-year-old drives to the crease. A lot:
Top-line forwards can often be unpredictable. When the stars align, it’s magic. When they don’t, their erratic choices can confound teammates and opponents alike. DeBrusk removes that guesswork from the equation because he occupies similar zones on a nightly basis. You can rely on his presence. Without needing to scan the ice, you know where he’ll be.
Pettersson (or perhaps J.T. Miller depending on Rick Tocchet’s preference) can thus produce a clearer mental map and act accordingly. Meanwhile, the third forward on the line can tweak their spacing to capitalize on the jumble around the crease.
Here’s an example of Debrusk’s net drive vs. the Oilers:
As David Pastrnak (BOS 88) swings high in the OZ, DeBrusk immediately rumbles downhill. Watch his path. Not a second wasted on stealth or deception. He tears right through the jaws of the defense, opens up for a tip and cashes on the rebound before an Edmonton defender can register the 2-on-1 at the lip of the crease. When you play this directly—especially against hybrid/zone schemes—you uncover pockets of space amid the congestion.
Momentum isn’t a prerequisite either. He’s an old-school, stick-on-the-ice type of forward who believes availability trumps craft. Consider this near-stationary goal vs. the Penguins:
Andrew Peeke (BOS 52) holds the puck at the dot with two Pens defenders (PIT 28 and 19) inbound. Rather than slipping to the back post and perhaps asking too much of a defensive D-man, Debrusk meets Peeke halfway, presenting an accessible target and digging for a follow-up tally.
This isn’t a clinical finisher or a player who insists on carving out the “perfect” tap-in. He swears by volume.
His high-danger shooting metrics paint the picture:
Plenty of attempts, a decent number of goals and an average conversion rate. At this stage in his career, the odds of him suddenly developing into a 40-goal guy are slim. He might flirt with 30, though.
More importantly, his dependability in the trenches carries a certain gravity that can help Vancouver’s offense fall into place when the games seize up.
On paper, the Canucks aren’t far from contention. They boast the reigning Norris Trophy winner (Quinn Hughes), a two-way center built for the spring (Miller), a top 10 goaltender (Thatcher Demko), solid complementary pieces and a coach who engineered a 26-point spike in his first full year in Vancouver.
If Pettersson can join this upswing, look out.
He’ll require a solid push to get there, so it’s a good thing DeBrusk has never shied away from a little elbow grease.