The Ottawa Senators made the blockbuster trade of the summer on Sunday when they dealt captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers for a haul of three first-round picks — two of which are in Friday’s draft — and a second-round selection.

After missing the postseason for seven straight seasons, the Senators have now reached the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, and clearly have no intention of taking a step back despite their return in the Tkachuk deal appearing mostly futures-based. Most agree that Ottawa will not use all three of their first-round selections in Friday’s draft, meaning that Ottawa might instead look to move at least one of them for a piece or two that can help them in the here and now.

Could Vancouver Canucks forward Jake DeBrusk be one of those pieces?

DeBrusk’s name has been in trade rumours for a while now after DeBrusk made some comments that indicated he wasn’t exactly thrilled to be part of a rebuilding team. DeBrusk has a full no-move clause until next summer, so to some degree, he controls his own situation. It’s also worth noting that there have been no reports of DeBrusk explicitly asking for a trade out of Vancouver, so he could very realistically say no to any move. But assuming that he’s at least open to a move, and would like to stay in Canada, he could absolutely be a fit for the Senators.

Despite a tough season and a career-low four even-strength goals, DeBrusk still managed to finish the season with 23 goals. In his first season in Vancouver back in 2024-25, DeBrusk finished with a career-high 28 goals, 14 of which came at even strength. It’s also worth noting that DeBrusk has been a consistent even-strength goal scorer in practically every season of his career but this past one. There should be minimal concerns that he won’t be able to bounce back to being a double-digit even strength contributor next season.

A quick look at the Senators’ updated line combinations courtesy of DailyFaceoff.com shows that there is absolutely room for DeBrusk on the left side of Ottawa’s top six forward group:

But there’s even more appeal for the Senators in acquiring DeBrusk, and that’s where he’s most efficient on the power play.

By trading away Tkachuk, the Senators also lost their net-front presence and in-close finisher on their first power play unit. Here is Tkachuk’s goal location data courtesy of NHL Edge:

That, of course, is a role that DeBrusk excels in, as he potted a career-high 19 power play goals last season. Here is DeBrusk’s goal location data chart from last season for comparison:

By adding DeBrusk, the Senators get a top six winger that can help them both at even strength and on the power play, and because of the boatload of assets they got in the Tkachuk deal, they’d realistically be able to go out and get even more help on top of adding DeBrusk. DeBrusk’s $5.5 million cap hit until 2030-31 is absolutely workable for Ottawa as well.

In the Tkachuk trade, the Senators netted the ninth overall selection (Florida’s own pick) and the 25th overall pick (which originally belonged to the Tampa Bay Lightning). That means in total, Ottawa holds the 9th, 25th and 32nd overall picks for the first round of this Friday’s draft.

Let’s just get right out in front of it and say definitively that the Canucks won’t be getting the 9th overall pick in exchange for DeBrusk in a one-for-one swap. If they included Filip Hronek, though…. no, no, we can’t get that off track.

Realistically, DeBrusk’s value is likely similar to what the Canucks were able to get for Conor Garland when they dealt him to the Columbus Blue Jackets — a second and third round pick. But with a weak crop of free agents and limited names available on the trade market, could the Canucks net the 25th pick? The Senators can’t move the 32nd overall pick,

Fans have already wondered about the possibility of the Canucks — who already own the 24th pick — acquiring pick 25 from Ottawa to draft twin brothers Liam and Markus Ruck, though not everyone agrees that the Canucks wouldn’t be leaving talent on the board by doing so. Regardless, a lack of options realistically out there for the Senators should mean that the Canucks are indeed able to net pick 25 in a trade.

Here are the projected left wingers available on July 1st, courtesy of Puck Pedia:

How many of these players are realistic upgrades on DeBrusk, and how many will come in at under $5.5 million annually? Not to mention the fact that free agency means there’s no guarantee the Senators will be able to convince any of these players to actually sign in Ottawa.

The trade market isn’t much better, either. There are some decent players — Jordan Kyrou and Matthew Knies come to mind — who appear like they could be had for the right price, but there are few players that seem as outwardly “available” as DeBrusk is right now. Not to mention that the price of a Kyrou or Knies would certainly be higher than it would be for DeBrusk.

The likelihood of the Canucks not liking the value here is low, but if the Senators think that pick number 25 is a bit steep for DeBrusk, there is always the option of the Canucks sweetening the pot by throwing in a later round pick or another asset Ottawa might fancy. The point is, the framework for a deal is absolutely there, and it’s hard to imagine that pick 25 wouldn’t be the main focal point.

If it’s not, Ottawa doesn’t have a second round pick in this year’s draft, meaning a repeat of the Garland trade — a second and a third round pick — would likely see Ottawa deal their 2027 second and one of three third-round picks Ottawa holds in this draft. But really, the Canucks should be shooting for pick 25 here.

From an on-ice perspective, the fit is there for the Senators to want to target DeBrusk. They’ve got the assets to make a deal happen, and the Canucks would be wise to explore whether or not DeBrusk would be willing to waive to go to the Nation’s Capital. Getting to make back-to-back first round selections on Friday in the process? That almost seems too perfect for the first big trade of the new management group headed up by co-presidents Daniel and Henrik Sedin.

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