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

[sting101]

A couple of observations:
1) Debrusk can only DREAM about the intensity of play that Marchand has had since day one. Marchand brings it every game. His standard operating setting is 150% of what would normally be his maximum. Maybe that’s why he turned from a good two way winger into an elite NHL player. Debrusk has maybe 1% of the drive Marchand has.
2) Path’s like Marchand’s are quite unique. How many players have become so elite and dominant at the age of 27, from a medium low level? Especially when no one was expecting them to? It takes a special player to do that and no offense, but there is nothing special about Debrusk.

You didn't really offer plausible facts or a good explanation?

Again If Marchand had the intensity and consistency from day 1 and played on the top line with Bergeron why did it take till 27/the same age as Debrusk to turn from 18*-24-25 goals to 37-39-34-36. You think it just finally came together due to his operating setting?

"1% and nothing special about Debrusk"? .....again not a plausible answer. Zero chance that a guy who has 25-27-19 goals his last 3 yrs has 1% of the drive.

JT Miller did the same thing for us when he came over from TB at roughly the same age as Marchand? He had a reputation as lazy inconsistent and unhappy in his role. Sound familiar

Marchand didn't really have a centralized role on the Bruins PP1 until his first spike year in 2015/16. Torrey Krug that year took over from a aging Zdeno Chara now 37/38 who had a bomb but was never that great at moving the puck around. They went from 17.84% on the PP (below league average of 18.66%) to 20.51% and by the next year David Pastrnak was also playing a big role.

Marchand collected 12 assists off Pastrnak goals and Pastrnak helped set up Marchand 13 times. The Marchand Bergeron Pastrnak trio was quickly established as one of the best in hockey and Marchand was now in the apex of his career and taking on a bigger role and leadership not just on a much improved PP but at 5v5

Now to turn this to Debrusk. PP usage similar to Marchand before his spike at the same age. 12:17 5v5 and 1.89pts Pts p/60 last 2 yrs.

Opportunity upside available. Can Debrusk be up for the challenge? Agree Marchand was/is more talented intense and has/had a bigger role on the PP than i expect JD to have. Some players have the endurance and focus to keep the pedal down and from what i know of Jake that will be the biggest questionmark

Even if he's reasonably focussed and comes in ready to take on the opportunity I expect 6-10pts more on the PP. Ours is better and he will get a better run of opportunity as he fits stylistically to what we need and the same at 5v5. 38.5 million reasons for that and he will be excited and ramped up to get it

I predict he will become a 55-60pts player and may spike this year if he has chemistry with Pettersson 2.79 pts p/60 (vs Coyle 1.99 and Bergeron 37 @ 2.11 ) and works on the PP. Would not surprise me to see 60-70 pts this year. Even if he goes to port side with Boeser-Miller he will be with 2 front line scoring forwards and should score more at 5v5..

 

[Three On Zero]

You think Boston struggled? When?

No one said that

 

[North]

Uhhh Pettersson was injured. Boeser too for game 7 and Demko never played. Debrusk will saw off Lindholm who wasnt that good till the playoffs and part of that was Garland-Joshua continuing to create match up problems. He largely stunk for us till he got the role of playing with those 2 who were having a banner year and created so many chances and possession time

Zadorov 100% agree but a healthy Demko and Pettersson is infinitely more of a threat than anything Zadorov does especially considering it's probably the one sample in his career where he was of as much impact.

Hronek was also not that good for us and would expect more but we could go back and forth doing that as RNH struggled 2023 but 2024 was effective....Kane Nurse etc etc. Things can change injuries streaks blah blah blah.

Shit talking aside....we still need a top4 defender and should have 5-6 million to do it by the deadline and may find someone better than Zadorov even if they remain patient.

The OIl has some really good depth now. Best it's been during this cycle. Curious who moves as it sounds like Kane is the one right now they are shopping. .

One thing is how many forwards in their 30s now for the Oilers might become a problem. 4 are UFA but 6 are not. Some good GM maneuvering should be able to manage it as contenders are usually destinations for players wanting a Championship but cant keep asking McDrai to do all the heavy lifting

The great thing is this is going to be a big rivalry for a few years. Both teams are in a contender cycle.

Your last line is key. Rivalries are more fun when both teams are good.

 

[The Hockey Tonk Man]

You didn't really offer plausible facts or a good explanation?

Again If Marchand had the intensity and consistency from day 1 and played on the top line with Bergeron why did it take till 27/the same age as Debrusk to turn from 18*-24-25 goals to 37-39-34-36. You think it just finally came together due to his operating setting?

"1% and nothing special about Debrusk"? .....again not a plausible answer. Zero chance that a guy who has 25-27-19 goals his last 3 yrs has 1% of the drive.

JT Miller did the same thing for us when he came over from TB at roughly the same age as Marchand? He had a reputation as lazy inconsistent and unhappy in his role. Sound familiar

Marchand didn't really have a centralized role on the Bruins PP1 until his first spike year in 2015/16. Torrey Krug that year took over from a aging Zdeno Chara now 37/38 who had a bomb but was never that great at moving the puck around. They went from 17.84% on the PP (below league average of 18.66%) to 20.51% and by the next year David Pastrnak was also playing a big role.

Marchand collected 12 assists off Pastrnak goals and Pastrnak helped set up Marchand 13 times. The Marchand Bergeron Pastrnak trio was quickly established as one of the best in hockey and Marchand was now in the apex of his career and taking on a bigger role and leadership not just on a much improved PP but at 5v5

Now to turn this to Debrusk. PP usage similar to Marchand before his spike at the same age. 12:17 5v5 and 1.89pts Pts p/60 last 2 yrs.

Opportunity upside available. Can Debrusk be up for the challenge? Agree Marchand was/is more talented intense and has/had a bigger role on the PP than i expect JD to have. Some players have the endurance and focus to keep the pedal down and from what i know of Jake that will be the biggest questionmark

Even if he's reasonably focussed and comes in ready to take on the opportunity I expect 6-10pts more on the PP. Ours is better and he will get a better run of opportunity as he fits stylistically to what we need and the same at 5v5. 38.5 million reasons for that and he will be excited and ramped up to get it

I predict he will become a 55-60pts player and may spike this year if he has chemistry with Pettersson 2.79 pts p/60 (vs Coyle 1.99 and Bergeron 37 @ 2.11 ) and works on the PP. Would not surprise me to see 60-70 pts this year. Even if he goes to port side with Boeser-Miller he will be with 2 front line scoring forwards and should score more at 5v5..

Not really sure what you guys are arguing about.
But I wouldn't have been upset had the B's signed DeBrusk to this deal.
He won't drive a line, but he's a solid secondary piece who's very good on the PK

Feel the change of scenery and being closer to his family will help elevate his game a little bit.

 

[sting101]

Not really sure what you guys are arguing about.
But I wouldn't have been upset had the B's signed DeBrusk to this deal.
He won't drive a line, but he's a solid secondary piece who's very good on the PK

Feel the change of scenery and being closer to his family will help elevate his game a little bit.

Agree and just so you understand im not just buying into the hype and being us vs you i believe Lindholm will suit your team and be a much better signing in Boston than he would have been here and i'm jealous you got Zadorov.

Our 2/3 pair with Zadorov and Cole is now Forbort and Desharnais and while they are as physically imposing we're much worse in talent with that trade off and i'm scared to death of those 2 handling the puck and 16-18 minutes

 

[Mad-Marcus]

He scored 27 goals in 64 games that year.. that's not league average.

I'm not absolving him from responsibility for his part with those coaches; but the reality is, when you & the coach don't see eye-to-eye, there's going to be other players put in better opportunities, and he still scored at a pretty good rate.

The fact that he's getting older, more mature, more experienced, in a new environment, should help him take his game to the next level... and $5.25m is basically what you pay for a 25 goal scorer anyways.

It's a good deal for the $$, bad term if he doesn't become consistent. It's not the coaching, he was given plenty of chances on the top 2 lines and the PP. He was often taken off or moved down, when he went through 10+G slumps.

You got a good player, he will be missed, but don't make this about the B's crushing his career. He is what he is.
I wish him nothing but the best. Boston does put a lot of inside and outside pressure on their athletes.
He wouldn't be the 1st to be more comfortable elsewhere. We want the ones that thrive under that magnifying scope, those are the players that help you win.

 

[wintersej]

Not really sure what you guys are arguing about.
But I wouldn't have been upset had the B's signed DeBrusk to this deal.
He won't drive a line, but he's a solid secondary piece who's very good on the PK

Feel the change of scenery and being closer to his family will help elevate his game a little bit.

Yeah it’s a solid contract. I just think that some Vancouver fans are doing some over projecting. Like David Pastrnak is certainly in at least the same tier as EP, and DeBrusk totally failed at sticking with Zacha and Pastrnak.

DeBrusk has not been given a lack of opportunity to play with good talent.

But he is a good secondary player. Averages 25 per 82 with shooting percentage variance from year to year. When the pucks arent going in he grips the stick more than most.

Happy go lucky kid and very likable because of it, but he has struggled heavily when the vibes aren’t good. An area of concern is the increased pressure of being in a market where hockey isn’t the 3rd or probably 4th sport. That has a chance to go down a dark path given his makeup.

He has been replacement level useless when being asked to be the best player on his line. Disappointing as the 2nd best player. And very good as the worst player on his line. To the point where I drank allllll the koolaid on him after that Marchand/Bergeron season.

But he was very disappointing this last season in his “ok, it’s your turn to lead” season.

I’m not sure if DeBrusk/EP/Joshua will work any better than the DeBrusk/Zacha/Pastrnak failure, but who knows!

 

[nergish]

Yeah it’s a solid contract. I just think that some Vancouver fans are doing some over projecting. Like David Pastrnak is certainly in at least the same tier as EP, and DeBrusk totally failed at sticking with Zacha and Pastrnak.

DeBrusk has not been given a lack of opportunity to play with good talent.

But he is a good secondary player. Averages 25 per 82 with shooting percentage variance from year to year. When the pucks arent going in he grips the stick more than most.

Happy go lucky kid and very likable because of it, but he has struggled heavily when the vibes aren’t good. An area of concern is the increased pressure of being in a market where hockey isn’t the 3rd or probably 4th sport. That has a chance to go down a dark path given his makeup.

He has been replacement level useless when being asked to be the best player on his line. Disappointing as the 2nd best player. And very good as the worst player on his line. To the point where I drank allllll the koolaid on him after that Marchand/Bergeron season.

But he was very disappointing this last season in his “ok, it’s your turn to lead” season.

I’m not sure if DeBrusk/EP/Joshua will work any better than the DeBrusk/Zacha/Pastrnak failure, but who knows!

I know the intention is to play him with Pettersson, and they will definitely try it.

But the moment this contact was signed my mind went to Boeser - Miller - DeBrusk, and I think he slots nicely there based on your writeup. Pettersson also really likes playing with Hoglander, so DeBrusk would really be the third guy on either line...

 

[Cupless44]

Call me crazy... and I'm far from a Canucks fan... but I think this signing will go down as the best signing of unrestricted free agency this year.

Debrusk is 27. You've locked him up for the entirety of his prime, and really only maybe 1-2 "down" years towards the end. He's scored 25 or more goals 3 times in his career, and has only once in his last 6 years been below 19.

He's done so on a Boston team that is not spectacularily offensively-oriented, and had some tumultous times with coaching, role, etc.

He's coming into a team where he's got a realistic chance to be a top line player; and will almost certainly be a consistent force in their top 6. I would be shocked if he doesn't score 30 this year.

That's a heck of a deal for $5.5m in UFA.

I am a Canucks fan but i am agreeing with your take. No DeBrusk isnt the best scorer of all the top 6 UFAs signed on July 1 but I like his speed and he has decent competiveness. But most of all I like that he is signed from the 27-34 years, not starting at 30. He is also going 5.5 not 7+

I think the Lindholm contract for example will not age well.

 

[Drew Doubty]

Bottom line: This is a good, but not great deal. However, you almost never get "great" deals in UFA, and are even less likely to with higher-end players. He's 27, which is perfectly aligned with the age of the rest of the core, so the term doesn't concern me the window for this core is the next 3-5 years.

They don't need Debrusk to become much more than what he is already to be worth the 5.5 million AAV, but I think there's a decent chance he provides added value given his fit on this team:

1. He's left handed which was an essential need for the PP. Horvat was a 20 goal guy until Miller starting feeding him in the slot on the PP - Debrusk hasn't historically been a great PP guy, but he can finish, so I like the bet there.
2. He has the required amount of defensive IQ for Tocchet's system. This is big because Hoglander, Pettersson's most offensively talented winger, ended up playing 4th line minutes in the playoffs. Whether you agree with Tocchet or not, it's the way he does things and Debrusk clears a bar the Hoglander doesn't
3. He had a well documented hand-inury that hindered him this season. It's reported that healed come playoff time and that's when he started to produce again.
4. There are opening's on both Miller and Pettersson's wing for him. If he doesn't have chemistry with one, they'll be another option for him.

Personally I can't really think of a deal made since July 1 that I would have liked better for the Canucks.

 

[Raistlin]

Debrusk is an upside bet. Unlike a Guentzel signing, which aims to extract max results straight away, I believe we will see the full impact of the signing a couple years from now, lining up with Willander (Myers) and Lekkerimaki (Heinan/Boeser) integration. guy like him being coached by Tocc is a perfect match. I hate to say it, since I still havent forgotten 2011, but Vancouver is shaping up to be following the bruin's heavy, tough to play against model.... and Debrusk should be very at home, and given every opportunity to succeed. The rest is up to his maturity to find that consistency.

I love this signing, once you step back, its not really a pivot, it makes a lot more sense than chasing after Guentzel (cap) or Necas (assets).

 

[wintersej]

I know the intention is to play him with Pettersson, and they will definitely try it.

But the moment this contact was signed my mind went to Boeser - Miller - DeBrusk, and I think he slots nicely there based on your writeup. Pettersson also really likes playing with Hoglander, so DeBrusk would really be the third guy on either line...

100%

 

[Mad-Marcus]

Yeah it’s a solid contract. I just think that some Vancouver fans are doing some over projecting. Like David Pastrnak is certainly in at least the same tier as EP, and DeBrusk totally failed at sticking with Zacha and Pastrnak.

DeBrusk has not been given a lack of opportunity to play with good talent.

But he is a good secondary player. Averages 25 per 82 with shooting percentage variance from year to year. When the pucks arent going in he grips the stick more than most.

Happy go lucky kid and very likable because of it, but he has struggled heavily when the vibes aren’t good. An area of concern is the increased pressure of being in a market where hockey isn’t the 3rd or probably 4th sport. That has a chance to go down a dark path given his makeup.

He has been replacement level useless when being asked to be the best player on his line. Disappointing as the 2nd best player. And very good as the worst player on his line. To the point where I drank allllll the koolaid on him after that Marchand/Bergeron season.

But he was very disappointing this last season in his “ok, it’s your turn to lead” season.

I’m not sure if DeBrusk/EP/Joshua will work any better than the DeBrusk/Zacha/Pastrnak failure, but who knows!

Reality take, unless the tiger changes his stripes, VAN will find out over the course of the 1st season. If Tocchet is anything as a coach as he was a player, Jake will frustrate the hell out of him.

 

[seanlinden]

I am a Canucks fan but i am agreeing with your take. No DeBrusk isnt the best scorer of all the top 6 UFAs signed on July 1 but I like his speed and he has decent competiveness. But most of all I like that he is signed from the 27-34 years, not starting at 30. He is also going 5.5 not 7+

I think the Lindholm contract for example will not age well.

Objectively...as faras scoring wingers goes... I don't think there's a lot of guys "better" than Debrusk.

To me, that list was Guentzel, Stamkos, Kane, Marchessault, and Skinner.

All of them are much older than Debrusk is... and with the exception of Skinner, were either similarly priced or much more expensive.

 

[Nogatco Rd]

He asked for a trade a few years ago right? Why was he so disgruntled with Boston?

 

[Three On Zero]

Lots of pundits loving this move for Vancouver

https://thehockeynews.com/news/which-canadian-nhl-teams-are-closest-to-winning-the-cup-after-the-start-of-free-agency

 

[Grub]

Your last line is key. Rivalries are more fun when both teams are good.

Yep we have to fight each other every year to get to the third round.

 

[iFan]

He asked for a trade a few years ago right? Why was he so disgruntled with Boston?

I don't think he was disgruntled with Boston, sounds like he just wanted to be closer to home

 

[Bruins4Lifer]

He asked for a trade a few years ago right? Why was he so disgruntled with Boston?

He was struggling with his game, grew tired of playing for Cassidy, and he was 3rd behind Marchand and Hall at LW.

He wanted a fresh start somewhere else. Next season he got it with a new coach in Monty and got to play a significant amount with Marchand and Bergeron. He withdrew his trade request shortly into that year.

 

[weaponomega]

I think DeBrusk is a solid player and I'm disappointed he couldn't resign in Boston. The Canucks are getting a decent goal scorer, 2 way player and someone who generally brings it during the playoffs.

But for all of that to happen the environment has to be right. I've never seen a player as sensitive to his surroundings as DeBrusk. During the COVID season and lock downs he was awful and said as much due to COVID. He didn't get along with Cassidy and asked for a trade and it mostly affected his season until he was put on a line with Bergeron.

Under Montgomery he flourished because of his approach with DeBrusk.

I think being closer to home will benefit him. If he and Tocchet can get along I think DeBrusk could be a 30 goals, 60 point player

 

[ameselare]

I think DeBrusk is a solid player and I'm disappointed he couldn't resign in Boston. The Canucks are getting a decent goal scorer, 2 way player and someone who generally brings it during the playoffs.

But for all of that to happen the environment has to be right. I've never seen a player as sensitive to his surroundings as DeBrusk. During the COVID season and lock downs he was awful and said as much due to COVID. He didn't get along with Cassidy and asked for a trade and it mostly affected his season until he was put on a line with Bergeron.

Under Montgomery he flourished because of his approach with DeBrusk.

I think being closer to home will benefit him. If he and Tocchet can get along I think DeBrusk could be a 30 goals, 60 point player

One of the things that worries me about the Pettersson-DeBrusk pairing is that they're both guys who get stuck in their heads a bit. Hopefully they can both have strong seasons mentally this year.

I'm not worried at all about DeBrusk and Tocchet getting along. Tocchet is a players coach and the team was ready to run through a brick wall for him this year, they absolutely love him. Tocchet's buddies with his dad as well, from their playing days, so that helps too. I think he'll thrive under Tocchet to be honest, they're going to get along really well, no doubt in my mind about that.

 

[Tofveve]

Feels pretty random instead of just re-signing Zadarov. Canucks going to Canucks, sorry.

 

[Maple Leaf]

Feels pretty random instead of just re-signing Zadarov. Canucks going to Canucks, sorry.

good point

 

[Paradise Circus]

Zadorov is 29 and plays D

jake is 27 and is a forward

Tada

 

[David71]

i think debrusk and petterson will find instant chemistry well in camp. petey being the passer, debrusk the finisher all his goals are at least 2-3 feet away from the net. he can also screen and tip in shots. his speed would be useful as well. this contract will look good for vancouver in a few years. i see debrusk hitting 30-40 goals with powerplay time, and petterson hitting 100pts. how many times has mikeyev whiffed on chances in close. i don't see that as a problem for jake. hes a finisher.