Boston Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk has been missing from the lineup since January 2 when he suffered a lower-body injury during the Winter Classic at Fenway Park.

The Black-and-Gold are coming off a tough 2-1 loss Friday against the Washington Capitals. The team has now dropped four of their last five games. 

On Monday’s Toucher & Rich radio program—Fluto Shinzawa, senior writer at The Athletic, joined the show to provide an injury update on Jake DeBrusk. 

Parts of conversation are abbreviated for clarity.

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  Nov 19, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Jake DeBrusk (74) deflects a shot on Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrazek (34) as defenseman Jake McCabe (6) defends during the first period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

• Why are the Bruins struggling right now?

  Fluto Shinzawa: Jake DeBrusk [being out], that’s probably one of the bigger reasons we’re seeing issues. But, they’re not winning at the pace that they once were.

  This team is certainly deep enough to survive more than a month without DeBrusk—in terms of plugging somebody in on that first line and putting somebody in the power-play. Let’s face it, he’s got 10 five-on-five goals after missing more than a month. That’s third most on the team.

  Jake has been having a terrific year in all situations. He’s been on the powerplay and he’s been killing penalties. You notice him the most when he sets the line up right. Let’s see him with Marchand and Bergeron.

  What does that do to the rest of the lineup? It optimizes it. It can move Craig Smith down. You can move Trent Frederic to the wing. Frederik has to play the middle now because Nosek is out with a broken foot.

  Depending on how DeBrusk’s leg has healed, there’s a chance he might play tomorrow against Dallas, maybe Thursday against Nashville. Either way, Jake is close. Soon we’ll get a good look at what the Bruins are adding down the stretch.

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  BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JANUARY 02: Jake DeBrusk #74 of the Boston Bruins skates against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period in the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park on January 02, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

• How long will it take before DeBrusk is back up to speed?

  Fluto Shinzawa: It’s probably going to take some time because, historically, we’ve seen Jake be a slow starter at the beginning of the season.

  Maybe you equate this to October where it’s not going to be highway speed right away for Jake. This is in terms of timing, hands vision and the speed that everything operates at.

  Also, Jim Montgomery has mentioned that they are facing desperate teams. Washington, for example, there is no guarantee they make the playoffs. Teams like that are fighting for every edge.

  There’s probably going to be some early turbulence for Jake. I’m sure this injury has felt like ages for him. Especially with the way he performed outdoors in the game that he got hurt.

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  Jan 2, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Jake DeBrusk (74) celebrates with defenseman Matt Grzelcyk (48), center David Krejci (46) and left wing Taylor Hall (71) after scoring a goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period of the 2023 Winter Classic ice hockey game at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

• Full Segment

• Ryan Beaton is a Producer and Contributor for 985thesportshub.com. You can follow Ryan at @ry_beaton on Twitter.

  Follow @Toucherandrich on Twitter, @Toucherandrichofficial and @fredtoucher on Instagram to keep up with the show!

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