Jake DeBrusk’s 2025-26 season wasn’t a disaster, but it didn’t exactly leave the Canucks with a clean answer, either. The goals were there - 23 of them, plus another 40-point season and a fourth-place finish in team scoring - yet the way he got there told a much different story.
The big problem was simple: DeBrusk barely scored at even strength. Only four of his goals came at 5v5, while the other 19 came on the power play.
That kind of split can make a player look productive on paper, but it also puts a spotlight on the kind of winger he’s supposed to be. DeBrusk logged a career-high 16:52 per night under Adam Foote last season, and a similar workload is likely under Manny Malhotra.
What made the season even more concerning was what happened away from the puck. DeBrusk’s defensive results took a hit across the board, with his scoring chance against numbers all dropping to career-worst levels and pulling down his expected goals for and scoring chance percentages along with them. The Canucks were giving up too much when he was on the ice, and that’s not the profile you want from a top-six winger.
DeBrusk signed a seven-year deal with Vancouver in 2024, after the Canucks’ Pacific Division title, and he didn’t sign up to be part of a long-term rebuild. It’s also no secret he’d welcome a change of scenery if the chance ever came. Until then, though, his job is straightforward: play well enough to make himself attractive to another team, with 4.5 years left on the deal.
The path forward starts with the most obvious fix. DeBrusk needs to get back to doing damage at even strength.
Before last season, his low-water mark for even-strength goals was 12 with the Bruins in 2019-20, so asking him to add at least six more at 5v5 while handling more minutes shouldn’t be out of reach. His power-play production still matters, but it can’t be carrying the whole load if he’s going to keep first-line minutes next to Elias Pettersson.
Defensively, the bar is just as clear. The Canucks need his expected goals against to come back down, and they need the High-Danger Scoring Chances against to stay under 200, or less than 2.4 per game. That would at least point things in the right direction.
DeBrusk has led the Canucks in goals in both of his seasons in Vancouver, so he’s still the standard for the rest of the lineup in that department. If he wants to help himself - and maybe eventually help a Cup contender justify taking on that contract - he has to raise the bar.
That opportunity will be there. Vancouver is still looking for offense, and DeBrusk’s power-play ability gives him a strong starting point.
If he can find more open ice at 5v5 the way he did in 2024-25, or during his time in Boston, he can still matter in a big way. And with the salary cap rising, a $5.5 million hit starts to look a lot more manageable if he outperforms the team around him.
He wasn’t the Canucks’ biggest problem last season, not by a long shot. But he did have a down year, and there are only so many lineup spots for a scorer who can be a liability defensively. If Drew O’Connor or Liam Öhgren start pushing him with better two-way play, DeBrusk could see his ice time shrink.
Even so, he handled the struggles with a good attitude and has been honest about his own game. He should arrive at training camp ready to show last season was just a bump in the road.
He doesn’t need a miracle season. He just needs to clean up the defensive end and get back to being the kind of 25-plus goal scorer he’s been before.
In Other News...
Canucks Face A Fascinating Liam hgren Decision Before Rules Change
The rising trend of teams locking up young forwards before theyve piled up much NHL mileage is giving clubs plenty to think about, and it has the Canucks facing a timely call on Liam hgren. Pittsburgh just went long on Ville Koivunen, and Carolina made a similar bet with Jackson Blake, two moves that suggest some organizations are willing to buy early on upside rather than wait for a bigger sample. For Vancouver, hgren sits in that same conversation as a promising piece whose recent performance is already inviting comparison to players who got their extensions before the market could move.
What makes the decision more interesting is the calendar. The NHLs next Collective Bargaining Agreement is expected to reduce the maximum length of contracts, which could make the window to secure a longer-term deal narrower than it is now. So the Canucks are not simply weighing what hgren has done to this point, but whether he is the kind of young forward worth betting on before those rules change and before his price tag gets any higher. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Fans Have A Big Reason To Watch The Hlinka Final
The Hlinka Gretzky Cup final on Aug. 8 has a familiar North American feel, with Team Canada and Team USA set to meet for the gold medal. For Canucks fans, it is the kind of late-summer showcase that offers an early look at the next wave of NHL talent, since the tournament is packed with prospects eligible for the 2027 and 2028 drafts. Canada will also be chasing its 26th title, while the Americans are trying to defend the championship they won last year.
The headliner from a Vancouver perspective is Canada captain Landon DuPont, a projected top pick in the 2027 draft and one of the names worth tracking closely when the puck drops. The final will air on TSN, adding to the sense that this is more than just another youth tournament game. For a fan base always thinking a few years ahead, it is a chance to watch future NHL players in a meaningful setting, with a trophy on the line and a few franchise-level possibilities in the spotlight. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks May Have A Late Free Agent Fit Fans Should Watch
Late-summer free agent shopping has been part of the Canucks recent playbook, and the clubs past under Patrik Allvin suggests they have not been afraid to keep looking for value after the main market has thinned out. With Ryan Johnson now in charge, the question is whether Vancouver will again explore those deeper cut options if a useful piece becomes available. Agents have already been in touch about possible fits, which is enough to keep the rumor mill moving even if the front office is still sorting through what kind of add makes sense.
One name that has surfaced in that search is former Canucks defenseman Ben Hutton, but the more interesting conversation is happening up front. A recent look at the market points to a better stylistic match for Vancouver in Eeli Tolvanen, whose role has shifted with the Seattle Kraken and whose recent production has made him worth monitoring. For a Canucks lineup still looking for the right blend of offense and versatility, a player with Tolvanens track record offers the kind of late free agent angle that can linger into the end of summer. [Read more 🡒]