I think the idea is less about moving DeBrusk off the powerplay and more about putting Garland, the best Canuck forward to start the season, on it. Treats every forecheck like it's his last and is excellent at gaining possession. Canucks biggest powerplay problem is they can't get set up at all. Hell, can barely gain entry.
The powerplay really started to wilt when they removed Kuzmenko from it. He shouldn't have been key but he was an excellent safety release valve. Another skilled forward that could take a pass and keep the puck moving. Once they removed him, the powerplay became stagnant, then couldn't get possession, and now can't even gain entry. Problems have cascaded.
If this doesn't work, I'd look to do something that is the exact opposite of what I've frequently suggested; split up the powerplay. Long advocated to just have one unit and play them the entire 2 minutes. It's got so bad that I wouldn't be opposed to splitting them up.