Jim Montgomery all but confirms the return of Jake DeBrusk.

The Boston Bruins have been without the services of veteran forward Jake DeBrusk for most of 2023 so far after the Bruins forward suffered a serious leg injury that has, at least temporarily, derailed what was looking like a career best season for 26 year old winger.

DeBrusk was injured during the 2023 Winter Classic at Fenway Park, a game where he was arguably the best player on the ice, scoring a pair of goals to propel the Bruins to victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Although DeBrusk had an outstanding performance in that game, it would be revealed a few days later that he had also suffered a fractured fibula in that game, taking him out of the Bruins lineup for several weeks.

On Monday, DeBrusk appeared at the Bruins morning skate in a regular jersey for the first time since suffering the injury, a sign that he is closer than ever to making his highly anticipated return to the lineup.

Although we still don't have an official timeline for DeBrusk's return to the lineup, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery gave a pretty clear indication of how he expects things to play out when fielding questions from reporters. Although Montgomery made it seem very unlikely that DeBrusk will play tomorrow against the Dallas Stars, it does sound like DeBrusk is likely to make his return to the Bruins lineup when they face the Nashville Predators on Thursday.

“Doubtful for tomorrow. Probable for Thursday," said the Bruins head coach of DeBrusk.