A team has emerged as a potential suitor for Vancouver Canucks forward Jake DeBrusk.

According to RG’s Jimmy Murphy, the Montreal Canadiens have expressed interest in DeBrusk, sharing that this isn’t the first time the Canadiens have poked around the player:

“The Canadiens have looked into DeBrusk this offseason and that’s not the first time they have,” the source told Murphy’s Hockey Law recently. “They looked into signing him when he was an unrestricted free agent and then again at the last trade deadline.”

DeBrusk, 29, inked a seven-year, $5.5 million AAV contract with the Canucks in the 2024 offseason. The decision for DeBrusk was reportedly down to Vancouver and Seattle, but according to Murphy’s source, the Canadiens were also interested in his services.

Throughout his two-year Canucks tenure, DeBrusk has missed just one game – an Adam Foote healthy scratch – scoring 51 goals and 39 assists for 90 points in 16:46 minutes of average ice time. The Edmonton, Alberta native has been a fixture on the Canucks’ power play, scoring 43 goals with the man advantage while parking at his perch at the net front.

Given the Canucks’ change in direction as they head into a rebuild, it’s widely known that DeBrusk would prefer to play for a contender. Murphy’s source continued to speculate on the potential fit between the Canadiens and DeBrusk.