Sweeney, DeBrusk React Following NHL Trade Deadline

BOSTON - After nearly three months of impressive hockey, the Bruins enter the home stretch in strong position. Boston, boasting a 25-9-3 record since Jan. 1 - second only to Colorado - is 16 points clear of a playoff spot with just 20 games remaining and appears poised to make its sixth consecutive postseason appearance.
As such, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney entered the trade deadline with the mindset of rewarding the group - which is now tied with Toronto for third place in the Atlantic Division and just a point behind Tampa Bay for second - ahead of what they hope is another run at the Stanley Cup.

"It starts with the investment of our team. It honestly does," said Sweeney. "You ask so much of the players in the organization and what they do, and you hope those two things align and the team is playing well. So, how can you complement that? And ultimately, that's where we've been the last few years, so we've tried to do that.
"We've knocked on the door and I want to knock again. That's honestly what the players are looking at as well. You walk through the door after you make it, and some guys are perked up. That's the feeling you want, and I think that most teams that tried to add to their groups are feeling that they have an opportunity, they feel that way.
"I don't think we're any different. We'll wait and see whether we did enough, or whether I did enough to help the group."
After making his big splash on Saturday with the acquisition of top-four blue liner Hampus Lindholm from the Anaheim Ducks, Sweeney bolstered the Bruins' back-end depth with the addition of rugged, right-shot defenseman Josh Brown from Ottawa in the hours leading up to Monday's trade deadline. Sweeney said that he was also engaged in discussions about adding even more, particularly to the forward group, but ultimately nothing that was presented was intriguing enough for him to agree to any further deals.
"We certainly had an awful lot of inquiries in terms of what we were trying to probably augment our group," said Sweeney. "Moving the pieces around and where guys were going to play was a little bit of a challenge for us if it didn't really move the needle. Obviously, we would like to have probably added a little more depth there. But several of our guys have really stepped up and played well and feel that we're in a good spot overall with our hockey club."
Sweeney went on to say that the deadline pick-ups of Lindholm and Brown, in tandem with the offseason acquisitions of Erik Haula, Nick Foligno, Linus Ullmark, Tomas Nosek, and Derek Forbort, have made the Bruins a deeper club. And while it may have taken some time for the pieces to gel, the Black & Gold appear to be hitting their stride at the right time as the stretch run intensifies - though, Sweeney said, it many cases it all comes down to health come playoff time.
"Bottom line is, the war of attrition starts from now until when a Cup is presented," said Sweeney. "Staying healthy is a big part of that. We hopefully added to the back end to hopefully get through all of that. You never know. We've monitored our team closely from January on in terms of how we've played, goal scoring's gone up. February on, we've played well. We've defended well all year. We're going to continue to do that.
"You have two goaltenders who are going to go through a stretch run in the playoffs for the first time. Let's just saddle up. I think the guys are excited. You've got a player in Hampus that is not just coming to impact our team now but moving forward…Josh adds a physical presence and a size factor that I think everybody acknowledges that you're gonna need as you go through the playoff stretch. Hopefully we get in and take a run."

DeBrusk Sticking Around

In a somewhat unexpected move, the Bruins announced on Monday morning that Jake DeBrusk had been signed to a two-year contract extension with an annual cap hit of $4 million. The winger, who has played well since bumping up to play on Boston's top line with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron over the last month, asked for a trade from the Bruins last summer, a request that became public in November.
"I think this really puts some clarity for Jake in the sense that he doesn't have any trade protection so we could've moved him prior to the deadline; we could revisit in the summertime," said Sweeney. "He could also go forward, most importantly, with just playing hockey and realizing that he's a big part of our team. He's gone in and played well with Bergy and March. Hopefully we're gonna have that when Bergy gets back.
"We're gonna need Jake. We feel that he's an important part of our hockey club. We wanted him to feel that way…there's clarity there in moving forward if we were going to explore something. Didn't really mean today at all…the impact that he can have on our hockey club, we believe in."
Sweeney did acknowledge that he had discussions with other teams about DeBrusk as recently as Monday afternoon ahead of the deadline.
"I've been having discussions on Jake for months. Today wasn't any different in terms of where teams thought he fit into their group and what they were trying to do," said Sweeney. "Some teams were down the road on other things and we'll pivot back maybe. But it doesn't really matter at this point.
"Like I said, sent a clear message to Jake and he sent one to us, that he just wants to play hockey. Bottom line is he knows he's an important part if he plays to his capabilities, he's going to help us and help himself."
For DeBrusk, the lack of a trade provided some long-desired clarity, as he's now locked in to being in a Bruins uniform through at least the end of the season.
"It was definitely a difficult day. It's been a difficult week…there was a lot of uncertainty and you don't necessarily know," said DeBrusk. "I think that's the one thing that I've taken away from it past [3] p.m. today is I haven't felt clarity in three months. I haven't known if I'm gonna go or where I'm gonna go or any of that kind of stuff. Now I know. It's nice to have that done with."
The winger, who landed five shots on goal - second only to Marchand - on Monday night against Montreal, said his sole focus now is on helping the Bruins win the Stanley Cup.
"I don't look at it as a negative situation," DeBrusk said of remaining with the Bruins. "Any time that you can play for a team that has a chance to win the Stanley Cup, that's a positive. That's why I play the game is to win the Stanley Cup. I'm comfortable with these guys. I grew up with this team and was drafted by them.
"Obviously I'm playing on a very good line at the moment. I'll do anything I can to stay there and help the team win. It's all about winning the Stanley Cup at this point. I think anybody can get behind that."

No Talks with Bergeron

Sweeney said he has not had any definitive discussions with Patrice Bergeron about the centerman's future. Bergeron, now in his 18th season with the Black & Gold, will be an unrestricted free agent following the 2021-22 campaign.
"That's only for Patrice to make that declaration, not me," said Sweeney. "I haven't really given much thought about the Patrice factor. My job is to put together the best team I possibly can. I honestly believe that Patrice is playing at the top of his game - if he's healthy and he looks around at his teammates and enjoys it, he's going to want to play hockey.
"That's his decision, he's the only one that can have a timeline on it. I've never asked him since he made his statement since the first of the year."

Down on the Farm

Sweeney did not rule out the possibility of Bruins 2021 first-round pick Fabian Lysell beginning his pro career - with either Providence or Boston - later this spring once he finishes his season with Vancouver of the WHL. The 19-year-old Swede has tallied 50 points (20 goals, 30 assists) in 43 games for the Giants.
"After his junior season, he could join either club, to tell you the truth, as a signed reserve list player," said Sweeney. "He's trying to do everything he possibly can to put Vancouver in the best spot they're in, and hopefully continues to have a good offensive year overall, working on his habits. I was out, saw him a couple of weeks ago. Met with him, just making sure the lines of communication [are open].
"He understands he's got to stay in the moment where your feet are, where he could be. Take care of that process, take that as far as you can, and there's an opportunity as soon as that one closes. Hopefully they play for as long as they possibly can, and that's where he should focus. But he's a possibility for Providence, and here as well."
Defenseman Mason Lohrei, one of Boston's other top prospects, recently completed his freshman campaign with Ohio State and was named to the Big Ten's All-Freshman team. The blue liner is currently dealing with a lower-body injury but could decide on what steps to take next in the coming weeks.
"[The Player Development staff of Adam McQuaid and Jamie Langenbrunner] have spoken at length to Mason," said Sweeney. "He's dealing with an injury, lower-body injury right now that he's kind of taking some extra time…he's kind of weighing that. We're going to meet with him and let that heal and then make the best decision with that information. There's not any urgency to rush through the healing process, and then we get a better feeling as to where he's going to go going forward."