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...
Canucks Make Another Depth Move That Could Affect More Than Abbotsford
The Canucks added another bit of organizational depth by signing forward Matthew Stienburg to a one-year, two-way contract, a move that gives Vancouver another player to shuffle between the NHL and AHL as the summer roster takes shape. Drafted by the Avalanche in 2019, Stienburg has already spent time in both leagues, and his deal is set up to keep him in the mix without locking the club into anything long term.
Stienburgs path has included a brief NHL look in Colorado and a season interrupted by a shoulder injury, which makes this more than just a paper transaction for Vancouvers development staff. Hell be battling for ice time in the organization next season, and with the Canucks still sorting out how their depth chart will look, his fit could end up mattering in Abbotsford and beyond. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Just Made A Goalie Move Canucks Fans Can't Ignore
A goalie move in Edmonton is the kind of thing that gets noticed quickly in Vancouver, especially when it comes with the sort of contract structure that signals both upside and caution. The Oilers have added a veteran with championship experience on a one-year deal, and the setup includes a modest base salary, performance bonuses and a no-move clause that gives the player meaningful control over where this goes next.
For Canucks fans, the real intrigue is less about the headline itself and more about what it suggests the Oilers are preparing for in net. Around the league, some analysts are already reading this as a sign Edmonton may not be done managing its crease, with the age and injury history attached to the move leaving open the possibility of a crowded goalie picture. There is still plenty to sort through, but it is already the sort of transaction that can shift how a division rival plans its summer. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks First Round Pick Takes A New Path That Fans Keep Debating
Aleksei Malhotras route to his next stop has already made him one of the more closely watched young names in the Canucks pipeline. Two seasons ago he was with the Chilliwack Chiefs in the BCHL, then he jumped to the OHLs Brantford Bulldogs and found another level offensively, putting together a much bigger scoring season and backing it up again in the playoffs.
Now Malhotra has said he will take the NCAA path this fall at Boston University, where hell be part of a lineup that already includes Canucks prospects Aiden Celebrini and Niklas Aaram-Olsen. The move also fits the wider ripple effect of the NCAAs new scholarship rules for major junior players, a change that helped steer his decision toward Brantford in the first place and left plenty of debate around what the better development track should have been all along. [Read more 🡒]