Jim Montgomery had some big-time praise for Jake DeBrusk.
Jim Montgomery had some big-time praise for Jake DeBrusk.
Jake DeBrusk is the Boston Bruins' top unrestricted free agent this offseason. At the time of this writing, he has yet to re-sign with the Bruins, and if this remains the case on July 1, he will hit the market.
If Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery has it his way, DeBrusk won't leave Boston. The Bruins bench boss had some big-time praise for No. 74, noting that he's a game changer.
Here's what Montgomery had to say about DeBrusk while on the NHL Wraparound Podcast: "I think his NHL future is bright. His career has been really good so far, and he’s coming into his prime. You look at how good he was for us in the playoffs this year … after playing with some injuries during the year.
Montgomery also stated: "One thing you notice, that I really noticed is that every time I talked to him one-on-one, he was very honest about where he thought his play was. We talked a lot about consistency when Jake was on top of his game. Jake was a game breaker for us. He’s someone that could change the momentum of a game in one or two shifts because of his tenacity, speed, and skill."
With this, it is apparent that DeBrusk has a big fan in Montgomery. It is understandable that Montgomery likes coaching DeBrusk, as he's a very skilled player who not only is impactful offensively but in all other areas of the game. Thus, it makes sense that he would love to see DeBrusk stay in Boston.
At 27 years old, DeBrusk is a top-six forward who still has several of his best years ahead of him. As a result, if he hits the market on July 1, he will have an array of suitors. Let's see if Bruins GM Don Sweeney can stop this from occurring and get him inked to a new deal. Montgomery would surely love that.
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