The 27-year-old winger has four goals and seven assists through 25 games, moving all around the lineup trying to find his game in a contract year.

BRIGHTON, Mass. – Nobody knows ups and downs like Jake DeBrusk.

He played in a Stanley Cup Final at 22 years old, scoring four points in the seven-game defeat to the St. Louis Blues in 2019. Just over two years later, he requested a trade. A year after that, with the request rescinded, DeBrusk had the best start of his career, opening the 2022-23 season with 30 points in 36 games, culminating with two goals in the 2023 Winter Classic on Jan. 2.

However, a broken foot and hand in that Winter Classic win held him out for nearly seven weeks. He picked up where he left off, scoring nine goals and 20 points in the final 28 games of the regular season. He scored six points in seven games in Boston’s first round loss to the Florida Panthers, and entered this season poised to take on a larger role in the final year of his contract, worth $8 million over two seasons.

So far, it hasn’t been what he or the Bruins hoped. The 27-year-old forward has 11 points in 25 games, sitting right behind rookie Matt Poitras (12) and ninth overall on the team. On Monday, DeBrusk was asked about the advice he gives Poitras, and his words said it all.

“I think it’s one of those things where it’s a really hard league to have confidence, and it’s easy for it to get shot,” DeBrusk said. “Don’t look at the outside noise, and I told [Poitras] if he does, you just look up my name, and you’ll feel a lot better about yourself.”

DeBrusk knows he isn’t living up to expectations, and perhaps some of the inconsistency has to do with how much he’s moved around the lineup.

So far Debrusk has spent 61:13 alongside Poitras and Danton Heinen at 5-on-5, 51:04 with Charlie Coyle and Brad Marchand, and 46:01 with Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak, according to Natural Stat Trick.

DeBrusk seems to be settling on the third line with Poitras and Heinen, but between injury-based or Jim Montgomery-based line shuffling, he hasn’t established a regular line like he did with Marchand and Patrice Bergeron last season, which totaled 409:37 at 5-on-5 across 50 games together.

“I think it gives me different options, to be honest,” DeBrusk said. “I think that’s a good thing about being on a good team is lots of good players. Obviously you want to be productive or have a line and get chemistry with whatever line you’re on. You want to be a glue guy in a sense. I think it goes hand in hand; I can play both sides, pretty much any situation, so it’s one of those things that I have confidence in my game in that. I know I can help us win, and we have been doing that so far, but at the same time it would be nice to have a pair or three.”

After going nine games before scoring his first goal of the season, and another eight before his second, DeBrusk has scored three points in the past five games. He could slowly be catching on. The Bruins (18-5-3) have found success without DeBrusk at his best, but over a quarter through the season, they would certainly benefit from him stepping up.

Montgomery was careful not to single out DeBrusk’s shortcomings, attributing them to what any offensive player goes through during a drought.

“There’s a lot of confidence in Jake. When Jake’s at his best, he’s tenacious in all the parts. His habits and details are really good. When he – like any offensive player – when he struggles, his habits and details wander, and they tend to cheat towards offense. You don’t end up with the puck as much. That’s the way it goes for everybody.”

As long as he’s healthy, DeBrusk will continue to play. He’s played the fifth-most 5-on-5 minutes among Bruins forwards (313:03). DeBrusk has proven what he is at his best. The only question is if he can get back there.