Jake DeBrusk Surging, 7th Player Award History & More
Also, 7 cool things about Pat Maroon, meet Andrew Peeke and the latest Bruins 3 Up, 3 Down
Welcome to the THW Boston Bruins Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Bruins writers.
In today’s edition, Jake DeBrusk is surging, some cool things about the new Bruin Pat Maroon, the history of the 7th Player Award, and more.
It would be great if you’d share the THW Bruins Substack with your friends and family so that they can subscribe and enjoy all the latest.
Don’t forget to check out all of our FREE team Substacks, and sign up for your favorites…or all of them if you want.
You can also upgrade your subscription to a paid THW account, and get access to ALL of our Premium content from ALL of our team Substacks for one low price.
Now on to the good stuff…
Bruins’ DeBrusk Surging in March
March 15, 2024 by Brandon Share-Cohen
It’s no secret that Boston Bruins’ forward Jake DeBrusk has had a down season just one year after putting up the best offensive point production of his career. DeBrusk would record his highest goals-per-game total in a season, scoring 27 goals while also reaching the 50-point mark for the first time in his career in just 64 games last season. This season, however, DeBrusk has scored just 16 goals and 34 points through 66 games and has seemingly felt the retirement of Patrice Bergeron more than anybody.
7 Cool Things About New Bruin Pat Maroon
March 14, 2024 by Ryan Gagne
In the final hours of the NHL Trade Deadline, the Boston Bruins acquired veteran and three-time Stanley Cup champion Pat Maroon from the Minnesota Wild. In the exchange, general manager Don Sweeney dealt away Luke Toporowski and a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2026 draft.
The Bruins will be the Maroon’s seventh NHL team after stops with the Anaheim Ducks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, and Wild. The left winger is listed as week-to-week after undergoing back surgery on Feb. 6. In 49 games with Minnesota this season, he had 16 points.
Getting to Know Bruins’ Trade Deadline Addition Andrew Peeke
March 14, 2024 by Ryan Gagne
On Mar. 8, 2024, the Boston Bruins acquired defenseman Andrew Peeke from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Jakub Zbořil and a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Entry Draft. The 25-year-old righthanded defenseman is slated to be on the third pairing with Parker Wotherspoon and should debut with the Bruins against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.
At Tuesday’s team’s annual picture day, Peeke wore jersey #52, becoming the ninth player to wear the digits in Bruins history, the latest one since Sean Kuraly (2017-2021). As an unrestricted free agent last summer, he re-signed with the Blue Jackets on a three-year deal worth $8.2 million. The agreement runs through the 2025-26 season and carries a cap hit of $2.75 million, making him the fifth highest-paid defender in the Boston lineup.
History of the Bruins’ 7th Player Award
March 14, 2024 by Nick Abramo
As a nine-year-old in the spring of 1969, the first time I heard about the Boston Bruins’ 7th Player Award was when the team’s TV partner, WSBK Ch. 38, promoted it on a game broadcast. It was something new, and the words they used for criteria — “the player who has performed above and beyond expectations” — were quite clear. What I didn’t get at the time was why they called it the 7th Player.
I had heard about the sixth man in basketball — the first man off the bench and into the game. But hockey didn’t have anything similar. A few years later, I finally realized that the 7th Player signified that the deserving awardee is not meant to be in the “starting” six, and, more to the point but left unstated — not a star.
Bruins 3 Up, 3 Down: Pastrnak, Sweeney, Zacha & More
March 14, 2024 by Scott Roche
It has been a busy last couple of weeks for the Boston Bruins. The 2024 trade deadline passed last Friday (March 8) with Boston making a pair of minor moves, while some Eastern Conference teams went different paths for the final six weeks ahead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In this edition of Bruins 3 Up, 3 Down, we’ll look back at the trade deadline, how some Bruins have been producing, and more disappointing results on the ice.