BOSTON -- The NHL trade deadline can be tough on a lot of players. Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark even admitted that after his first win following the March 8 deadline.
There's a lot of uncertainty and rumors flying around in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline.
But once it passes and there's no possibility of a move until the offseason, we often see players start to find a rhythm and build more consistency in their game.
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Bruins wing Jake DeBrusk has been one of those players. The B's held on to DeBrusk through the trade deadline even though he isn't signed beyond this season, and it has benefited the team quite a bit so far.
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DeBrusk scored his 18th goal of the season in Thursday night's 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers at TD Garden.
Trent Frederic's two shots from in close were stopped by Rangers goalie Jonathan Quick, but a juicy rebound kicked out to DeBrusk and he capitalized to open the scoring.
DeBrusk now has seven points (four goals, three assists) in six games since the trade deadline passed. He has tallied 19 shots during that span, too. If you look at the entire month of March, DeBrusk has tallied 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 10 games. His goal against the Rangers extended his point streak to four games.
Consistency has been a problem for DeBrusk throughout his career, and this season is no exception. That said, he's been pretty consistent in March with at least one point in seven of 10 games. It's an encouraging development for the Bruins.
This isn't the first time the 27-year-old forward has found his groove offensively post-trade deadline. He finished the 2021-22 regular season with 10 goals in his last 19 games. He scored eight times in 21 games following the 2023 trade deadline.
The Bruins failed to add a middle-six forward at the trade deadline. Pat Maroon was their only addition up front and he's a fourth-liner. He's also recovering from back surgery and it's unknown when he'll make his B's debut.
The Bruins need one of their secondary scorers to step up and provide consistent offensive production through the end of the regular season and into the playoffs. DeBrusk, as a three-time 20-goal scorer who should hit that mark for the fourth time this season, is the best candidate to fill that void.
And as a player who's on an expiring contract and able to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer, DeBrusk has all the motivation he needs to finish the campaign strong and earn the first major payday of his career.