Vancouver Canucks sign Jake DeBrusk to seven year deal with $5.5 million AAV
2 days ago
The Vancouver Canucks didn’t get Jake Guentzel, but they’ve landed another Jake on day one of NHL free agency. 30 minutes after the NHL’s free agency period opened, GM Patrik Allvin announced the Canucks’ first move of the day: a seven year contract for winger Jake DeBrusk. The deal carries a $5.5 million annual average value.
DeBrusk, who turns 28 in October, has spent the first seven years of his career with the Boston Bruins, who drafted him at 14th overall in 2015. DeBrusk has twice scored 27 goals, most recently in the 2022-23 season, when he added on 23 assists for a total of 50 points in 64 games.
The Canucks needed to address their top six, and are DeBrusk should be able to step right in to the Canucks’ top six. During our series “Project Petey’s Partner”, we identified DeBrusk as a potential fit for the Canucks in free agency. Here’s what we wrote:
DeBrusk is a name that is starting to make a lot of sense. He’s an all-around talent who has decent size, speed, hands, and skill, but doesn’t break the needle in any of those categories. He does play a down-low, in-tight sort of game that might lend itself well to Pettersson’s wing, but then again we don’t necessarily know what skillset fits best with Pettersson. The upside in DeBrusk is that, whatever the trait required, chances are he’s got at least a little bit of it.There’s also upside in that DeBrusk is coming off a pretty bad season, easily his worst aside from an injury-hampered 2020/21 campaign. That’s bad timing for a UFA, but great timing for a team looking to sign that UFA. At just 27, DeBrusk will get offers all the same, but he won’t break the bank, and the Canucks could take advantage in signing him to something that’s not onerous in either the short- or long-term.
Patrik Allvin is set to meet with the media later this afternoon, and we’ll have full up-to-the-minute coverage of everything that happens throughout the rest of the day.
What do you think of this contract, Canucks fans? Let us know in the comments section below!
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