Jake DeBrusk Details Requesting Trade From Bruins: “I Was Fighting For My Career”
After walking away in NHL free agency, Jake DeBrusk’s time with the Boston Bruins is officially over.
A former first-round draft pick in 2015, DeBrusk was a central piece of the Bruins’ lineup for seven years. And yet, DeBrusk’s lasting legacy in Boston will always be marked by his infamous trade request during the 2021-22 season while unsatisfied in his role with the Bruins at the time.
“Just with the way the team was shaping up when it came to looking at where I could possibly play in the lineup and things like that and how the [previous] year ended, I got scratched in the playoffs, and I was just thinking about a fresh start for both sides,” said DeBrusk in a recent interview on The Cam & Strick Podcast. “At that point, I made the call to try and get it moving forward. I didn’t think they were taking it seriously, and I thought that, at that point, I was fighting for my career. I thought I could add more than what was happening, and I didn’t see anything changing.”
In the interview, DeBrusk claimed that he privately informed the Bruins front office of his desire to be traded during the summer of 2021. But, following a poor stretch in which he scored just three goals through his first 15 games of the regular season, DeBrusk’s request became public knowledge, and he soon became public enemy No. 1 in Boston.
