DeBrusk is in his fifth season with Boston, which selected him with the No. 14 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.
"I'm not overly surprised that this eventually came out," Sweeney said. "I've been in the know for quite some time, and we've been trying to look at a hockey trade situation that would help the Boston Bruins and, as I do my job, accommodate with what Jake thinks best. There's a balance there."
DeBrusk, who was a healthy scratch for a 3-2 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday, has scored six points (three goals, three assists) in 17 games this season. He had one shot on goal playing 10:35 in a 2-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday with the Bruins without two forwards; Brad Marchand served the first of a three-game suspension for slew-footing Vancouver Canucks defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson on Sunday, and Anton Blidh is out with an upper-body injury.
Boston was unable to recall any players from Providence of the American Hockey League because that team is dealing with an outbreak of COVID-19.
"Regardless of the situation that Jake has certainly made it known that he would prefer a new opportunity, we expect Jake to play well," Sweeney said. "This comes down to the Boston Bruins having to make a hockey decision, and for Jake it comes down to him playing his best hockey."
DeBrusk's offensive production has declined each season after he scored 43 points (16 goals, 27 assists) in 70 games as a rookie in 2017-18. He scored 42 points (27 goals, 15 assists) in 68 games in 2018-19, and 35 points (19 goals, 16 assists) in 65 games in 2019-20, for a total of 62 goals in those three seasons.
Last season, DeBrusk scored 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 41 games and the 25-year-old continued to struggle this season.
"It wasn't what I wanted or the team wanted in retrospect," DeBrusk said in September. "So [I] obviously want to improve on it. Pretty much forgot my whole career. Whether it was the 27-goal season or last year, I'm clean-slating it. I think it's a pivotal point in my career as well. So [I'm] just trying to do the little things every day, just take it day by day and not look too far in advance or anything in the past."
DeBrusk declined to comment through a Bruins spokesman Tuesday.
"Jake's had a lot of success," Sweeney said. "At times players get to a situation where they don't feel that they're playing their best hockey, and I think Jake would openly admit he hasn't played his best hockey. And sometimes players just look and say, maybe it's cleaner if I try to do that somewhere else, and that's probably where this has gotten. The responsibility is shared in that regard.
"It doesn't mean we stop working and stop trying to compete at the level we have to and, as I said, Jake has to go out and play his best game tonight because that's what's best for Jake and for the Boston Bruins."
