Bruins’ Jake DeBrusk says he played with broken hand from January to April

The Boston Bruins were eliminated in six games by the Florida Panthers Friday night, losing 2-1. It was a hard-fought series for a Bruins squad that grinded through a seven-game series with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round, and battled against injuries and a lack of production.

But playing through injuries isn’t only for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Speaking with reporters after Friday’s game, forward Jake DeBrusk shared what type of ailments he dealt with through the 2023-24 regular season.

“I broke my hand, probably right before the bye week, so I missed a game,” DeBrusk said, referring to the Jan. 27 game against the Philadelphia Flyers. “It didn’t really heal until a week before the playoffs, so I knew my playoffs were going to be better.”

He indicated it was his left hand, making it difficult for him to hold the shaft of the stick while handling the puck.

For context, the Bruins’ bye week was between Jan. 28 and Feb. 5, and Game 1 of their first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs was April 20. That means DeBrusk allegedly played with a broken hand from the latter half of January until the midway point of April, a span of nearly three months.

In 80 games this season, DeBrusk had 19 goals and 21 assists for 40 points. He was a big part of Boston’s success through the first two rounds, scoring five goals and six assists for 11 points in 13 games.

Taking No. 14 overall by the Bruins in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, DeBrusk has spent all seven seasons of his NHL career with Boston. He’s reached his career high in goals twice, scoring 27 in 2018-19 and 2022-23. He hit the 50-point mark for the first time last season, finishing with 27 goals and 23 assists.

The 27-year-old DeBrusk was in the final year of a two-year, $8 million contract extension he signed ahead of the 2022-23 season. He will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1.