According to Leafs reporter Nick Kypreos, DeBrusk may also be interested in joining the Leafs, making this move seem quite likely.
It is not clear if the Bruins are trying to re-sign DeBrusk. DeBrusk himself revealed that the Bruins have not yet reached out about a contract extension. The Bruins have $21 million in cap space with six roster spots to fill, so they could afford to re-sign him. However, their priority may be extending goaltender Jeremy Swayman, their biggest-name restricted free agent (RFA) this summer. If the Bruins were interested in keeping DeBrusk, one would expect them to have made an offer by now, considering they will lose his rights on July 1st. The Leafs may have extra incentive to sign DeBrusk, given how effective he has been against them in the playoffs.
DeBrusk scored 19 goals and had 40 points for the Bruins in the regular season this year. He followed that up with 5 goals and 11 points in 13 playoff games, marking the best playoff performance of his career on a points-per-game basis. Many of those points came against the Leafs as the Bruins beat them in the first round once again. The 27-year-old has played in 465 career NHL games, all with the Boston Bruins, recording 138 career goals and 266 career points.
