Confirmed with Link: Canucks sign F Jake DeBrusk to 7-Year, $5.5M AAV Contract

[LordBacon]

I really do feel like we'll extract surplus value out of DeBrusk in the next 3-4 years.

This team's playstyle seems perfect for him, we have two high impact centres for him to try and find chemistry with, and a coaching staff that has already shown an apt ability to help players of his ilk level up.

I think he's going to pleasantly surprise us once he settles in.

One of the biggest reasons for our success last season.
I cant remember being this confident in them during the JB years.

 

[Hodgy]

Whether this contract works out and provides value over the short term will largely depend on whether Debrusk finds chemistry with Miller or Pettersson. Keep in mind we just saw a player, in Lindholm, fail to find chemistry with Pettersson.

So pretty decent risk on this one.

But if he does find chemistry with Pettersson then it may work out well. For at least the first half.

 

[IComeInPeace]

Whether this contract works out and provides value over the short term will largely depend on whether Debrusk finds chemistry with Miller or Pettersson. Keep in mind we just saw a player, in Lindholm, fail to find chemistry with Pettersson.

So pretty decent risk on this one.

But if he does find chemistry with Pettersson then it may work out well. For at least the first half.

I don’t know…

…has EP40 historically been a hard guy to play with since entering the NHL?

It seems like it really was only the EP40 of the 2nd half of last season that was hard to play with.

Aside from a short spell when the Lotto Line was reunited, he wasn’t gelling with anyone (including Boeser and Miller).

I acknowledge there is some risk there, but it seems fairly minimal.

In the first 4-5 years of the contract (even if Debrusk doesn’t gel with EP40) he won’t be overpaid by much even if his numbers just stay similar to what he was doing in Boston.

…in that case the last 2-3 seasons he could be overpaid, but he loses his trade protection by that point (and we can swallow the hit to move on from him at any point after the first 3 seasons of the deal).

 

[theguardianII]

Aside from a short spell when the Lotto Line was reunited, he wasn’t gelling with anyone (including Boeser and Miller).

Kuzmenko! That Caribbean work out got him kicked off the team. Tocchet hated it. "If it works for him" but not for Tocchet. I really think that is why he got railroaded.

I have liked the DeBrusk idea for a couple of years. Hopefully he does still have another gear but I am not so sure. It will depend upon Pettersson's play or whomever other line mates.

 

[Bankerguy]

in a rising CAP world - 5.5 million is really palatable considering he's 27 right now. When i judge these things, i always look at term minus 1. because buyouts w/ 1 year left doesnt really result in a huge penalty.
So, whennhe's going into his 6th year he'll be turning just 33 as the season starts.. that's not too bad at all when you consider a 95 million , 100 million CAP.
he'll give us 25 goals and or 60 points for the bulk of this contract and we'll be getting better than expected 'bang for buck'.

sneaky smart signing.

 

[Diversification]

Whether this contract works out and provides value over the short term will largely depend on whether Debrusk finds chemistry with Miller or Pettersson. Keep in mind we just saw a player, in Lindholm, fail to find chemistry with Pettersson.

So pretty decent risk on this one.

But if he does find chemistry with Pettersson then it may work out well. For at least the first half.

I've been watching some of DeBrusk's highlights (2021-2024) and there's reason to believe that he'll be a fit with Petey. He's an opportunistic scorer with a knack for being in quiet areas, ready for east-west passes. When he receives them, he's deadly mid-range in. Strong support board work and has some physicality to his play. Mikheyev with finishing ability is a decent comparison. What will be interesting is to see if there's an ideal 3rd wheel for them. Maybe Podkolzin if he can play with more purpose? Definitely has the playmaking that would help a line like that click.

 

[VIPettersson]

I've been watching some of DeBrusk's highlights (2021-2024) and there's reason to believe that he'll be a fit with Petey. He's an opportunistic scorer with a knack for being in quiet areas, ready for east-west passes. When he receives them, he's deadly mid-range in. Strong support board work and has some physicality to his play. Mikheyev with finishing ability is a decent comparison. What will be interesting is to see if there's an ideal 3rd wheel for them. Maybe Podkolzin if he can play with more purpose? Definitely has the playmaking that would help a line like that click.

Debrusk underrated passer

 

[mriswith]

NMC is only for three years.

Mgmt can use his 28-30 year old seasons and then cycle him out if they want.

 

[TruGr1t]

I've been watching some of DeBrusk's highlights (2021-2024) and there's reason to believe that he'll be a fit with Petey. He's an opportunistic scorer with a knack for being in quiet areas, ready for east-west passes. When he receives them, he's deadly mid-range in. Strong support board work and has some physicality to his play. Mikheyev with finishing ability is a decent comparison. What will be interesting is to see if there's an ideal 3rd wheel for them. Maybe Podkolzin if he can play with more purpose? Definitely has the playmaking that would help a line like that click.

I mean, we're paying Pettersson over $11M per season, and this guy regularly scores 25 goals. He better fit!

 

[HairyKneel]

Kuzmenko! That Caribbean work out got him kicked off the team. Tocchet hated it. "If it works for him" but not for Tocchet. I really think that is why he got railroaded.

I have liked the DeBrusk idea for a couple of years. Hopefully he does still have another gear but I am not so sure. It will depend upon Pettersson's play or whomever other line mates.

Nobody got railroaded. Kuzmenko refused to put in the work defensively. Try to keep up.

 

[VanJack]

Canucks Army predicting a 30-goal season for DeBrusk.....too optimistic?.....He might get there if he ends up on the first unit PP with Miller and Hughes.

 

[PuckMunchkin]

Canucks Army predicting a 30-goal season for DeBrusk.....too optimistic?.....He might get there if he ends up on the first unit PP with Miller and Hughes.

I think you are right.

If he finds a permanent spot on the no.1 PP he can probably get to 30.

 

[Diversification]

I mean, we're paying Pettersson over $11M per season, and this guy regularly scores 25 goals. He better fit!

Yeah, but chemistry doesn’t really work that way. I was just making the point that stylistically Mikheyev and DeBrusk have some similarities in the offensive zone. Petey set Mik up on a regular basis only to have Mik flub those opportunities over and over. DeBrusk profiles much more as a finisher throughout his career. He has real goal scorers instincts. But that said, the line could still need a glue guy to make it all work.

 

[Billy Kvcmu]

Kuzmenko! That Caribbean work out got him kicked off the team. Tocchet hated it. "If it works for him" but not for Tocchet. I really think that is why he got railroaded.

I have liked the DeBrusk idea for a couple of years. Hopefully he does still have another gear but I am not so sure. It will depend upon Pettersson's play or whomever other line mates.

First if all, he went to Bali, which is in Indonesia instead of the Caribbean.

Second, Kuzemko was terrible and only scored on Chicago and SJ

 

[Jerry the great]

I think you are right.

If he finds a permanent spot on the no.1 PP he can probably get to 30.

Hopefully he has chemistry with EP and Hoglander....which would give us 3 really good chance generating lines (assuming J-B-G still click); forcing the opposition to spread their defensive resources that thin is a difference maker.

whether he gets to 30 (or higher) depends on health and how often he can get to the front of the net and how often his linemates can get him the puck when he's there.

in 22/23 (injury shortened) he played more than half his ES minutes with Bergeron and Marchand and his HDC were 53% higher (adjusted for GP) than they were in 23/24 when he played primarily with Coyle and Marchand. Mid range shots were also down materially last season (43%). My gut feeling is EP40 is going to be able to get him the puck a lot in that high danger area (just as he did for Kuzmenko in 22/23).....but there is obviously an element of hopeful thinking there. IF they really click AND deBrusk is a fixture on PP1, there could be a couple levels up in terms of HD shots. The (admittedly extreme) comp here is Hyman who massively increased his HD chances over the last couple of years playing with the gams best distributor.

 

[F A N]

Canucks Army predicting a 30-goal season for DeBrusk.....too optimistic?.....He might get there if he ends up on the first unit PP with Miller and Hughes.

Debrusk has scored 27 goals twice in less than 70 games. Last 3 seasons he scored 25 in 77 games, 27 in 64, and 19 in 80. I would say if he manages to play 75+ games and on PP1 his odds of scoring 30+ goals is 50% or better.

 

[Regal]

I've been watching some of DeBrusk's highlights (2021-2024) and there's reason to believe that he'll be a fit with Petey. He's an opportunistic scorer with a knack for being in quiet areas, ready for east-west passes. When he receives them, he's deadly mid-range in. Strong support board work and has some physicality to his play. Mikheyev with finishing ability is a decent comparison. What will be interesting is to see if there's an ideal 3rd wheel for them. Maybe Podkolzin if he can play with more purpose? Definitely has the playmaking that would help a line like that click.

I think Heinen might ultimately be the best bet. Hopefully Pods can work on the Miller line if that’s the case though

 

[theguardianII]

Nobody got railroaded. Kuzmenko refused to put in the work defensively. Try to keep up.

Isn't it amazing how good his defence was as soon as he got to a worse defensive team?
Just how bad was his defence here? He was a ROOKIE!!!! regardless of age. Is that the new Canuck system? If a rookie can score 40 goals a season he gets gassed and thrown out to the wolves if there is parts of his game that are not perfect or learned/taught yet?
Kuzmenko a minus 1 player gets replaced with Lindholm a minus 6 player and Lindholm is great!
Lindholm goes on to score a whopping total 22 points at a cost of a 25 point player, a first round pick, a AAA RHD prospect, a large A LHD prospect and a 4th rnd pick. A player that gets out of Vancouver ASAP.
But now the team has to find a player to play with Pettersson at all costs.
Who did Kuzmenko play with this year under Tocchet?

First if all, he went to Bali, which is in Indonesia instead of the Caribbean.

Second, Kuzemko was terrible and only scored on Chicago and SJ

Bali? Okay I thought Tocchet said Caribbean, it doesn't matter, he still had that "if it works for him" and "we will see" .

Edmonton, Vegas, Florida X2, Tampa, SJ X 3.
The again if that is used then BB got 17 of his goals vs 4 bottom 5 teams or in 7/8 games. 42.5% of his total goals in 8.5 -10.9% of the total games played, he was out scored by Kuzmenko the other 65-70 games. And for only 1.6 million more too!

So far off the DeBrusk topic. DeBrusk is a Tocchet guy so he will be given every opportunity to play with Pettersson and Miller exclusively. He should do well.

Hey the Canucks had a surprising year, much better than a lot of bookies thought but they are not as good this year as last, so far.

 

[VanJack]

Looking around the league at some of the big-time scorers who changed teams, you could argue that DeBrusk might represent the best value signing. And it's primarily because of his age--just 27.

Players like Stamkos, Tofoli and Marshessault are well past 30; and even guys like Bertuzzi , Lindholm and Teravainen are 29.

So for $5.5m and seven years, the Canucks are getting DeBrusk in what should be the prime of his career. And even if he doesn't play through all of his contract, he'd still be a valuable trade chip at age 30-31.

Really a nice piece of work by Allvin.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

Canucks Army predicting a 30-goal season for DeBrusk.....too optimistic?.....He might get there if he ends up on the first unit PP with Miller and Hughes.

He's certainly going to be afforded every opportunity to. He'll be getting 1st/2nd line ice-time, and is likely going to be on the 1st unit PP.

If he does indeed hit 30+, it'll be a great success. Hopefully that comes to pass.

 

[Tob]

It was hard to navigate the UfA market. Some crazy deals out there. They managed to snatch a young for 7 years all prime years middle 6 guy with potential and size for 5.5. With a rising cap, that easy.

Vincent trocheck signed a 7 year deal for $5.5 and he’s the best value contract on the rangers, playoff type player. Big boom potential for debrusk even if his numbers don’t pop pop. Signing $10M deals make it hard to get value. Signing B6 players to $3-3.5M also makes it hard to get value. Signing guenzel for Bc tax equivalent of $10M or maybe more is hard to get value especially if he ages normally.

I don’t know enough about debrusk to really say if this is a trocheck or if it’s a loui Erikssom (age aside) but putting the player aside, the value seeking and upside in this deal is good work by management.

 

[strattonius]

Isn't it amazing how good his defence was as soon as he got to a worse defensive team?
Just how bad was his defence here? He was a ROOKIE!!!! regardless of age. Is that the new Canuck system? If a rookie can score 40 goals a season he gets gassed and thrown out to the wolves if there is parts of his game that are not perfect or learned/taught yet?
Kuzmenko a minus 1 player gets replaced with Lindholm a minus 6 player and Lindholm is great!
Lindholm goes on to score a whopping total 22 points at a cost of a 25 point player, a first round pick, a AAA RHD prospect, a large A LHD prospect and a 4th rnd pick. A player that gets out of Vancouver ASAP.
But now the team has to find a player to play with Pettersson at all costs.
Who did Kuzmenko play with this year under Tocchet?

Bali? Okay I thought Tocchet said Caribbean, it doesn't matter, he still had that "if it works for him" and "we will see" .

Edmonton, Vegas, Florida X2, Tampa, SJ X 3.
The again if that is used then BB got 17 of his goals vs 4 bottom 5 teams or in 7/8 games. 42.5% of his total goals in 8.5 -10.9% of the total games played, he was out scored by Kuzmenko the other 65-70 games. And for only 1.6 million more too!

So far off the DeBrusk topic. DeBrusk is a Tocchet guy so he will be given every opportunity to play with Pettersson and Miller exclusively. He should do well.

Hey the Canucks had a surprising year, much better than a lot of bookies thought but they are not as good this year as last, so far.

Kuzmenko wants to sail in to the NHL and put on cruise control. He has immense talent and he's going to use that to make a heap of money while enjoying life. Good for him.

This isn't what Rock Tocchet wants. Tocchet wants an undying commitment to the team. Someone who works overtime and hates losing. A guy that is pissed we lost to Edmonton last year and will do anything to get better. This isn't Kuzmenko. Kuzmenko is 28 or 29 and is a finished product. He's not re-inventing himself or his game and anyone who thinks he was going to flip a switch and be a player for us has serious denial issues. He is an absolute wreck of a systems player - he will be a good fit in Calgary where they are in a rebuild.

So please I think I speak for a lot of posters when I say 'shut up about the Kuzmenko tears!'. As if because he got hot down the stretch in Calgary and outproduced; and we didn't win the cup it was somehow a farcical trade that put us back goal scoring. Like everyone has said, Kumenko wasn't going to strive in a rigid system on a team with aspirations to WIN. Kuzmenko wants the bag and he wants to enjoy American life while his hockey days run out.

 

[theguardianII]

Kuzmenko wants to sail in to the NHL and put on cruise control. He has immense talent and he's going to use that to make a heap of money while enjoying life. Good for him.

This isn't what Rock Tocchet wants. Tocchet wants an undying commitment to the team. Someone who works overtime and hates losing. A guy that is pissed we lost to Edmonton last year and will do anything to get better. This isn't Kuzmenko. Kuzmenko is 28 or 29 and is a finished product. He's not re-inventing himself or his game and anyone who thinks he was going to flip a switch and be a player for us has serious denial issues. He is an absolute wreck of a systems player - he will be a good fit in Calgary where they are in a rebuild.

So please I think I speak for a lot of posters when I say 'shut up about the Kuzmenko tears!'. As if because he got hot down the stretch in Calgary and outproduced; and we didn't win the cup it was somehow a farcical trade that put us back goal scoring. Like everyone has said, Kumenko wasn't going to strive in a rigid system on a team with aspirations to WIN. Kuzmenko wants the bag and he wants to enjoy American life while his hockey days run out.

Tocchet is too old school in his demands and too ridged in compromising. A short term coach. His message will get old quickly.

Shut up about Kuzmenko? How when the the traded items are benefiting/playing on Calgary for the next 7 years?

You think I am posting about not winning the cup? Get real. I am posting about the ramifications that now exist.
He played well with Pettersson. Pettersson was a 100 point Selke candidate.
Now the team is looking/hoping to find another player like him to play with their 11+ million dollar man and spending more to do so. Eating up cap space they don't have.
The loss of prospect depth
The loss of draft picks.

He wants to enjoy life? Ya, that's a good reason to get rid of players. Can't play unless you are miserable and unhappy.

Tocchet is simply a "my way or the highway" type of coach and in the new NHL with 32 teams, soon to be more no doubt, there are other options. Even Tortorella works out issues with players, coaches them up.

What do you think Boeser's next contract should be for? 9 mil X 8 yrs? Why not have a bunch of players in their late thirties making the majority of the cap?

Next year "we'll see" my guess is a repeat of 2016. After a surprising 2015. Now after a surprising 2023/24 next year a miss.

Although a good PP and PK should be enough to get a decent result in the easy season. And it depends on Demko's knee(s)/hip(s) and Pettersson's .....knee?

The last about Kuzmenko, many many times hockey people lament about how hard it is to find players that can score 30 or 40 goals a season, rarely are they lamenting that these players are useless because they are creative in their games. Often coaches will build lines that take advantage of skills or make up for a deficiency, it is called coaching. If every player is the same then it makes coaching so much easier because there are no changes to make, just complain about a player here or there not doing enough.

But his departure had EP scoring tank, team scoring tank, PP start to falter. Now this is not all on him, Tocchet I think changed the system to a more defensive style a 1 - 3 - 1 for the playoffs but the timing matches.

Last year when Boeser asking for a trade that no other team would do, Kuzmenko was going to take his place at a lot less money. Fans were behind that mostly because oh how he fit with EP.

 

[strattonius]

Tocchet is too old school in his demands and too ridged in compromising. A short term coach. His message will get old quickly.

Shut up about Kuzmenko? How when the the traded items are benefiting/playing on Calgary for the next 7 years?

You think I am posting about not winning the cup? Get real. I am posting about the ramifications that now exist.
He played well with Pettersson. Pettersson was a 100 point Selke candidate.
Now the team is looking/hoping to find another player like him to play with their 11+ million dollar man and spending more to do so. Eating up cap space they don't have.
The loss of prospect depth
The loss of draft picks.

He wants to enjoy life? Ya, that's a good reason to get rid of players. Can't play unless you are miserable and unhappy.

Tocchet is simply a "my way or the highway" type of coach and in the new NHL with 32 teams, soon to be more no doubt, there are other options. Even Tortorella works out issues with players, coaches them up.

What do you think Boeser's next contract should be for? 9 mil X 8 yrs? Why not have a bunch of players in their late thirties making the majority of the cap?

Next year "we'll see" my guess is a repeat of 2016. After a surprising 2015. Now after a surprising 2023/24 next year a miss.

Although a good PP and PK should be enough to get a decent result in the easy season. And it depends on Demko's knee(s)/hip(s) and Pettersson's .....knee?

The last about Kuzmenko, many many times hockey people lament about how hard it is to find players that can score 30 or 40 goals a season, rarely are they lamenting that these players are useless because they are creative in their games. Often coaches will build lines that take advantage of skills or make up for a deficiency, it is called coaching. If every player is the same then it makes coaching so much easier because there are no changes to make, just complain about a player here or there not doing enough.

But his departure had EP scoring tank, team scoring tank, PP start to falter. Now this is not all on him, Tocchet I think changed the system to a more defensive style a 1 - 3 - 1 for the playoffs but the timing matches.

Last year when Boeser asking for a trade that no other team would do, Kuzmenko was going to take his place at a lot less money. Fans were behind that mostly because oh how he fit with EP.

Unbelievable how Rick Tocchet comes in here and completely resets the standards, resets the culture and completely turns around the organization in a positive way, but you criticize criticize criticize. What I really think is you just like to hear yourself ramble.

Your main points are major criticisms of Rick Tocchet and congruently major praise for goal scoring Kuzmenko. You are the living embodiment of what was wrong with this organization for so many years. A backwards loser philosophy.

 

[Hit the post]

Next year "we'll see" my guess is a repeat of 2016. After a surprising 2015. Now after a surprising 2023/24 next year a miss.

meh, "surprising 2015" came as a result of the Sedin's last gasp (both of them *EACH* were in the top ten in points that season).