The Bruins on Monday said goodbye to a pair of longtime fan favorites who both called Boston home for nearly a decade.
Jake DeBrusk and Matt Grzelcyk each departed the only NHL franchise they had ever known upon the start of free agency. DeBrusk landed a seven-year, $38.5 million deal with the Vancouver Canucks, while Grzelcyk inked a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
After those deals were finalized, the Bruins took to social media to pass along farewell messages to both of the homegrown talents.
“Seven years of 74,” the post for DeBrusk read. “Thank you, Jake, for CELLY SZN, Chef JD, and all you’ve done for the Black and Gold and the City of Boston. We wish you the best in Vancouver.”
“A toast to the Townie,” the Bruins wrote to Grzelcyk. “For eight years, you lived out a dream and made your hometown proud — thank you, Grizzy, for representing Boston so well on and off the ice. Good luck in Pittsburgh!”
DeBrusk and Grzelcyk signing elsewhere weren’t the only free agency losses the Bruins dealt with Monday. Danton Heinen and Derek Forbort joined DeBrusk in Vancouver, while Pat Maroon latched on with the Chicago Blackhawks.
