Jake DeBrusk’s name has been floating around the trade market for a while now, but nothing appears to be moving just yet.
The Canucks winger has been viewed as a speculative trade candidate since last season, and after signing a seven-year, $38.5 million contract two years ago with the idea that he’d help a contender, Vancouver has taken a different path. DeBrusk has already said he’d be open to moving on from that situation.
Even so, TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reported Wednesday that there has been no conversation between the Canucks and DeBrusk’s camp about waiving his trade protection, which would have to happen before any deal can go through. That market is also being squeezed by the contract itself and by his production: DeBrusk scored 23 goals last season, but only four came at even strength, and he still has five years left on the deal.
Elsewhere out West, Flames GM Craig Conroy said Wednesday that he has been talking with Simon Nemec’s representatives about the defenseman’s next contract, though he doesn’t expect to hear back until later this week or early next. Nemec was acquired last month for two first-round picks and a second-round selection, and he had previously been believed to be looking for a deal along the lines of Luke Hughes’ seven-year, $63 million contract from last fall.
In Nashville, the Predators added Dawson Sprigings as an Assistant to the GM. The 32-year-old comes over with a background that should be familiar to new GM Chris MacFarland, who worked with him in Colorado. Sprigings spent the last seven seasons with the Avalanche as their Associate Director of Analytics and Lead Data Scientist, and MacFarland, who arrived from Colorado last month, is expected to use him in a similar role despite the new title.
And in Utah’s organization, veteran forward Kevin Rooney is sticking around, just not on the same kind of deal as before. The AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners announced that Rooney has signed a one-year AHL contract after playing last season on an NHL two-way deal. The 33-year-old posted 24 points in 44 games with Tucson and also scored a goal in his lone appearance with Utah.
In Other News...
Free Agency Sent More Familiar Predators Faces To New Places
Free agency brought a fresh batch of names into Nashville, with the Predators adding Mavrik Bourque, Ilya Lyubushkin and Alex Kerfoot as the market opened and the roster continued to take shape. It was part of the usual summer churn around the NHL, but for Nashville it also meant another round of recalibration as the front office looked to blend new arrivals into a group that has already seen plenty of movement.
The other side of that churn was familiar faces landing elsewhere, including Colton Sissons, Jeremy Lauzon, Cole Smith and Erik Haula finding new homes across the league. For Predators fans, it is the kind of free-agency snapshot that feels both routine and a little jarring, with former contributors moving on while the organization tries to make sure the next wave fits better than the last. [Read more 🡒]
Barry Trotz Keeps Reshaping The Predators Front Office
Barry Trotz keeps putting his stamp on the Predators front office, and the latest addition brings a more data-driven angle to the mix. Nashville has hired Dawson Sprigings as an Assistant to the General Manager, adding a staffer whose background includes work with the Colorado Avalanche as an analyst before he moved into a larger analytics role there.
For the Predators, the move fits a broader push to deepen the organizations decision-making beyond the ice. Sprigings is expected to contribute to analytics, team-building strategy and scouting, and his arrival marks the fourth front office hire in the last month as Nashville continues to reshape the way it operates. [Read more 🡒]