Confirmed Signing with Link: [VAN] F Jake DeBrusk signs with the Canucks (7 years, $5.5M AAV)

[PuckG]

Not a terrible contract but not good either.

The Canucks seem to have taken a solid step back this year. Love it.

 

[ScottishCanuck]

Not a terrible contract but not good either.

The Canucks seem to have taken a solid step back this year. Love it.

I think they’re putting together a line up that’ll be a pain in the ass to play against, and I like it, despite the disappointment of missing out of a Guentzel in FA.

The defense isn’t fantastic, but there’s plenty of offseason left and I don’t think they’re done.

 

[PuckG]

I think they’re putting together a line up that’ll be a pain in the ass to play against, and I like it, despite the disappointment of missing out of a Guentzel in FA.

The defense isn’t fantastic, but there’s plenty of offseason left and I don’t think they’re done.

The two major signings don’t make the Canucks harder to play against though but yes, lots of offseason left.

 

[PB37]

I think DeBrusk will hit some career highs with Pettersson. He took a lot of flak from Bruins fans, some warranted, some not. He's developed his game to be very good in his own zone and be a fixture on the PK. He's not just a scorer. Good luck to Jake!

 

[Skolman]

I think they’re putting together a line up that’ll be a pain in the ass to play against, and I like it, despite the disappointment of missing out of a Guentzel in FA.

The defense isn’t fantastic, but there’s plenty of offseason left and I don’t think they’re done.

Uh, what did the Canucks do to make their team harder to play against?

If anything, they got softer.

 

[SyZyGY]

The only fans that should be happier than the Canucks are Leaf fans. This guy was a Leaf Killer in the playoffs.

Debrusk is a prime candidate for a breakout season with Petey and Hughes feeding him pucks. I suspect he will have multiple 30 goal years and possibly a 40 goal year for the Canucks during this 7 year contract.

I think Debrusk chose the perfect situation for himself, he can learn lots under Tochett and a guy like JT Miller in regards to what it takes to be a consistent everyday power forward. Tochett did wonders for Dakota Joshua.

This is a fantastic AAV for what he will bring.

Only 27 yrs old as well.

I also dont think it should be overlooked that he is an excellent penalty killer, something the Canucks need more of especially after losing Lindholm.

U will be ultra disappointed if that's what ur expecting with Debrusk.. Bruins were fine letting him go and scoring wingers is one of their biggest need...

 

[PuckG]

Uh, what did the Canucks do to make their team harder to play against?

If anything, they got softer.

Keeping Lindholm would have at least kept some of the defensive acumen in place, but now they’re softer, less skilled and less mobile on the defensive end. With most of the major targets of the FA board, this off-season is looking rough for the Canucks.

 

[KCC]

Oof. Isn't this like a mil and a half too much, and 3 years too much?

Yes but generally a lot of teams end up having to overpay players on July 1.

 

[clay]

The two major signings don’t make the Canucks harder to play against though but yes, lots of offseason left.

Uh, what did the Canucks do to make their team harder to play against?

If anything, they got softer.

DeBrusk, Heinen, and Sherwood all play solid 200 foot games with high motors. Canucks forward core got quicker and better defensively. Wouldn't be shocked at all if those three end up with 60 goals between the three of them while providing energy and defense which would be incredible value for around $9M.

Subtracting Zadorov for Desharnais is definitely a net negative, but the bottom 4 of the D have an average height of 6'6, so they'll definitely make teams think twice about crashing the blue paint.

 

[krutovsdonut]

debrusk is a guy i have dunked on for years and never wanted the canucks to have. i think the bruins always wanted to trade him but could never get enough to make it worthwhile because, despite not really wanting him in any particular role, he was always too useful.

to me he's a middle sixer or bust: a guy who could not make it as a bottom six or top six, but can straddle the middle using two decent skill sets to offset one another but with nowhere to go if a team ever had a strong top 6 and a strong bottom 6 at the same time.

fortunately for debrusk that never happens. in the cap universe there's always a spot in the middle to fill. so he's defied his skeptics, including me and the bruins i think, and carved out a nice career. he's a good fit for an imperfect world.

and for the canucks today, who run 3 offensive lines and are trying to become a system first team, he's a good fit. he can play system hockey and still score and he can rotate on three lines looking for a fit where he has a chance to use his scoring.

so i am cautiously optimistic.

 

[Regal]

Uh, what did the Canucks do to make their team harder to play against?

If anything, they got softer.

Losing Zadorov takes a hit, but adding DeBrusk, Sherwood, Desharnais, Forbort and Heinen definitely makes them harder to play against than Mikheyev, Lafferty, and Cole.

 

[krutovsdonut]

Uh, what did the Canucks do to make their team harder to play against?

If anything, they got softer.

i can see why an oiler fan would be over focussed on losing team toughness after what you guys just did, but canucks have added back quite a bit of grit and toughness. where the canucks are weaker is in defensive zone mobiity and transition and faceoffs.

 

[Mad-Marcus]

Correct me if I were wrong, but isn’t DeBrusk more naturally a LW and, as such, could be inconsistent playing opposite Marchand?

And that he had performed well with Krejci and Pastrnak (e.g. rookie year) but that combo is often not assembled, for example, needing to play Pastrnak on the big line, or most recently having to fit Zacha into the team?

He played both sides over the last 3 years consistently, due to constant mixing of lines. Some guys deal, some don't.
Even when on his favored side, he was still inconsistent, disappearing for long periods of time, which messes with his head.
Luckily he has learned not to let it effect the rest of his game.

 

[Skolman]

Losing Zadorov takes a hit, but adding DeBrusk, Sherwood, Desharnais, Forbort and Heinen definitely makes them harder to play against than Mikheyev, Lafferty, and Cole.

Zadorov is way more imposing than Vinny, and it's not even close.

Sherwood in, Lafferty out is basically a wash.

Debrusk & Heinen definitely aren't hard players to play against.

I'd say the Canucks look worse on paper currently, then they did 6 weeks ago.

i can see why an oiler fan would be over focussed on losing team toughness after what you guys just did, but canucks have added back quite a bit of grit and toughness. where the canucks are weaker is in defensive zone mobiity and transition and faceoffs.

What exactly did Edmonton do?

Do you believe losing Vinny & Foegele will hurt Edmonton..?

 

[Regal]

Zadorov is way more imposing than Vinny, and it's not even close.

Sherwood in, Lafferty out is basically a wash.

Debrusk & Heinen definitely aren't hard players to play against.

I'd say the Canucks look worse on paper currently, then they did 6 weeks ago.

Zadorov is more imposing than Vinny, but Forbort is also more imposing than Cole. I worry about the defense’s ability to move the puck but they’re still huge.

Sherwood is a more physical player with an agitator aspect to him. He was much more of a factor in the series against Nashville than Lafferty was.

DeBrusk adds physical play and forechecking over Mikheyev who was soft as butter. Heinen brings a lot of the same aspects as Lindholm but as a worse player.

The forward core is similar to the playoffs, but I think it got slightly faster and harder to play against in general. DeBrusk adds a forechecking dimension to the Pettersson line it lacked, Heinen is a better player than on the 2nd line, allowing him to move down to the 4th line and Sherwood is better than Lafferty. Losing Lindholm hurts a bit but the Garland line was just as good with Blueger there in the regular season.

The defense is worse, as Zadorov-Cole is better than Forbort-Desharnais, but they might still try to add.

 

[nowhereman]

Not a terrible contract but not good either.

The Canucks seem to have taken a solid step back this year. Love it.

Their forward group is better, while their defense is slightly worse. They moved laterally at worst. They also have cap space to add via trade. And if they meet the Oilers again in the playoffs, it's likely Pettersson/Demko won't be injured and Boeser won't be out with blood clots. You won't be getting off so easy, G.

 

[PuckG]

Their forward group is better, while their defense is slightly worse. They moved laterally at worst. They also have cap space to add via trade. And if they meet the Oilers again in the playoffs, it's likely Pettersson/Demko won't be injured and Boeser won't be out with blood clots. You won't be getting off so easy, G.

I disagree, their forward group moved laterally and their defence certainly got worse. Vinny is a great character guy and we love him, but there’s a reason he didn’t play in the most crucial games of the year.

If we meet in the playoffs again, it’s also likely that McDavid, Draisaitl, and Kane are healthy. Without Silovs standing on his head and keeping you in the series again (or Demko once he returns), you won’t be getting off so easy, G.

 

[nucks88]

Man, I am getting JT Miller flashbacks here! I hope all these “experts” are as accurate this time as well!

 

[Peter Griffin]

I would agree that on paper, the Canucks look a bit worse now than they did with Zadorov/Lindholm in the mix. But Vancouver is also expecting big impacts from their two top prospects in Lekkerimaki/Willander in the next 6-12 months.

 

[Bocephus86]

Streaky scorer that would appear to be an often no-show, but he's got wheels, loves the north/south game, and is very responsible defensively. Not overly physical, he does occasionally go a bit nuts. He scores in bunches. I said it on the Bs board, and I'll repeat here: I like him, but he's an 'eh' to me. You'll love him some days, and wonder what's wrong with him more than not, but that price is totally reasonable and he's not really an injury concern.

One major upside for Vancouver: I think he was 'done' in Boston a few years ago. Going to a new team might help him find a more consistent game. If he does, it's a great pick up.

I wish him well, but I won't miss him, if that makes sense.

 

[nucks88]

I would agree that on paper, the Canucks look a bit worse now than they did with Zadorov/Lindholm in the mix. But Vancouver is also expecting big impacts from their two top prospects in Lekkerimaki/Willander in the next 6-12 months.

There is no way the “Swedish Chef” and “Trader Jim” are finished tweaking ….. the prices paid at FA for the level of talent are insane…..I think they did a great job avoiding the land mines that some GMs stepped on ….yeesh….

 

[WetcoastOrca]

I think they’re putting together a line up that’ll be a pain in the ass to play against, and I like it, despite the disappointment of missing out of a Guentzel in FA.

The defense isn’t fantastic, but there’s plenty of offseason left and I don’t think they’re done.

That’s the way I see it too. Last year’s lineup was a pain to play against and this one will be even more of a pain.
The forward group is way deeper than the group that won the Pacific.
The team only acquired Lindholm at the TDL and he really wasn’t a great fit here as they already have two top centers. I think he’ll do better on Boston. DeBrusk is a top 6 guy who will help EP a lot. Reminds me of the JT Miller pickup where most were against it but he just needed a change of scenery.
D takes a step back so far but lots of time to acquire another top 4 guy and Allvin has been one of the best and most active GM’s out there.

 

[krutovsdonut]

What exactly did Edmonton do?

Do you believe losing Vinny & Foegele will hurt Edmonton..?

the oilers added two defensively suspect top six or bust players so your top six just got leakier (and more injury prone). your overall lineup lost two skaters to make room for them and became correspondingly softer. your game plan just changed to accommodate them and make best use of their skills and so you suddenly became more interested in set plays and breakaways and correspondingly less interested in board cycle work. you likely move hyman away from mcd and reduce his minutes since i think it is unlikely you run an rnh/skinner/arvidsson line and i don't think you have a third line option either of the new guys can play on except as ghosts. i also think these guys do not move the needle on the pipe dream of not having mcdrai together. finally, kane just became officially a third line player playing third line minutes and situations.

and yes you will miss foegele although the grit part alone would not be hard to infill. he's an interesting player.

 

[PuckG]

Man, I am getting JT Miller flashbacks here! I hope all these “experts” are as accurate this time as well!

Comparing Jake Debrusk to JT Miller is delusional. They’re world aparts and expecting DeBrusk to blossom into that when he couldn’t do it on a superior Bruins teams is insane.

No wonder Canuck fans keep saying their forward group got so much deeper/better when you’re viewing the signing in that light.

 

[BCNate]

Not a terrible contract but not good either.

The Canucks seem to have taken a solid step back this year. Love it.

The Canucks roster is far better than what they had to start the year last season.