Last year was a big change in the life of Jake DeBrusk; after seven strong seasons with the Boston Bruins, the 28-year-old left where it all began for Vancouver in free agency.
DeBrusk signed a seven-year, $38.5 million deal to join a Canucks team that had just pushed the Edmonton Oilers to Game 7 in the second round of the playoffs. He and everyone else had to think this was just the start of great things to come in Vancouver, but that sure wasn't the case in 2024-25.
Rather than taking another step towards competing for the Stanley Cup, the Canucks went backwards, missing the playoffs in a season full of turmoil. The rift between stars J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson reached a breaking point early in the year and was a dark cloud hanging over the team for months.
It was an uncomfortable situation for everyone in the organization and certainly difficult for a player like DeBrusk. He spoke about it from his perspective to reporter Jim Matheson in a recent article for the Edmonton Journal.
"I have the perfect excuse. I wasn't there that long. I don't know everything... J.T. had me over for dinner a couple of times, and I love him a lot. I was sitting beside Petey in the dressing room, and we hung out a lot. It became a thing where I was almost the middle man," DeBrusk said.
"In all fairness I wish the best for J.T. and his family; they welcomed me. For me it's unfortunate; I wanted to play longer with them, but it's not my decision. Trades happen all the time. Yeah, it was a crazy time," DeBrusk added.
With some of the off-ice distractions put away, DeBrusk 'optimistic' the Canucks can make a strong push to a playoff spothttps://t.co/pBvSj4RlDo pic.twitter.com/UYvErlDOec
— Edmonton Journal (@edmontonjournal) August 29, 2025
Miller, as we know, was traded to the New York Rangers in late January for a package that included Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a 2025 first-round draft pick that Vancouver eventually flipped to acquire Marcus Pettersson and Drew O'Connor from Pittsburgh.
DeBrusk will look to build off a strong 2024-25
Despite all of the drama and team shortcomings, Jake DeBrusk managed to put together a pretty productive first season as a Canuck.
The winger tallied a career-high 28 goals while adding 20 assists to finish with 48 points in 82 games, the second-best statistical campaign of his career.
Moving forward, Vancouver will need that same type of production from DeBrusk and even more, especially without the big-time numbers they could always count on from J.T. Miller.
Elias Pettersson will be relied upon to carry the load offensively, but he'll need help from his supporting cast, which is exactly where Jake DeBrusk comes into play.