Jake DeBrusk has been one of the more talked-about names around Vancouver this summer, but he says the trade noise has been overblown.
After comments earlier this year made it sound as though he wanted out of a rebuilding Canucks team, DeBrusk set the record straight with the media, including Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre. “I want to say this on the record: I have not asked for a trade,” he said.
“I signed in Vancouver for a reason. I wanted to help them win and I still think I can help them.”
DeBrusk also said he “still believe[s] in this group,” and that he would sign his contract again if he “had the chance to now.”
Those earlier remarks had fueled plenty of speculation. DeBrusk told Ben Kuzma of The Province that a rebuild “is not something I would be OK with or accepting.
My game doesn’t fit that.” With Vancouver now deep into a full-scale rebuild, many read that as a trade request.
DeBrusk says that wasn’t the case.
The deal in question is the seven-year contract with a $5.5MM average annual value that he signed with Vancouver on July 1, 2024. He is entering year three of that contract, which runs through the summer of 2031, when he can become an unrestricted free agent at age 34.
He was a frequent topic in trade chatter last season, and that has continued into the summer. TSN’s Travis Yost wrote last month that DeBrusk “seems like an inevitable trade piece to a contender” after he scored 23 goals and 42 points in 2025-26.
For now, though, DeBrusk’s comments suggest that if he does move, it would be the Canucks making that call, not him. His contract also carries a full no-move clause for 2026-27 before turning into a 15-team no-trade list for next season.
Vancouver’s roster situation has also prompted some wondering whether the club could dip into the remaining free-agent market for help. Names like Vladimir Tarasenko, Michael Bunting, and Patrik Laine can’t be ruled out entirely, but the Canucks appear to be looking elsewhere.
According to The Athletic’s Thomas Drance, the team is putting real emphasis on the early-season waiver wire as a way to add players. GM Ryan Johnson told Drance that early-season waivers are “a great opportunity,” and said the Hockey Operations department is already mapping out how to use Vancouver’s No. 1 spot in the claim order.
The Canucks are hoping to uncover useful NHL talent the way other teams have done, with the Carolina Hurricanes’ season-opening waiver claim of Brandon Bussi and the Montreal Canadiens’ addition of Johnathan Kovacevic in 2022 serving as examples.
Elsewhere in the West, Tyler Seguin is still working his way back from a brutal stretch of injuries in Dallas. The Stars veteran recently skated informally ahead of training camp, and he spoke to the media yesterday about the recovery from the torn ACL in his right knee that cost him nearly all of the 2025-26 season.
He told Robert Tiffin of NHL.com that the latest rehab process has “been probably the most challenging” one of his career. Seguin wouldn’t commit to being ready for Dallas’ first regular-season game on Oct.
Even with the injuries piling up, the 34-year-old has shown he can still help when he’s available. He put up 21 points in 20 games during the 2024-25 season, then added 17 points in 27 games in 2025-26.
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The bigger takeaway is what comes next. Capobianco is under contract for two more years at a manageable cap hit, and his offensive track record in the AHL helped convince the Stars to keep him in the fold. With more openings on the blue line now, Dallas appears ready to ask him to shoulder a larger role in 2026-27, even if the exact shape of that job is still being sorted out. [Read more 🡒]