Canadiens Have Chance to Add Another Bargain Deal in Trade with Canucks

The Montreal Canadiens are always looking for team-friendly deals and bargain contracts to add to one of the NHL’s most valuable rosters. Known as an organization that takes calculated risks, bets on players with workable contracts, and signs players right before or after big changes in the salary cap heavily impact extensions, GM Kent Hughes is on the lookout.

Could the next swing come out of Vancouver, where the Canucks might be open to moving Jake DeBrusk?

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DeBrusk has spent nine NHL seasons with the Boston Bruins and Canucks, establishing himself as a talented but streaky goal scorer. After posting 27 goals in 2018-19, his inconsistency became a source of frustration in Boston. There was on and off talk about a trade, which never happened. However, he eventually left as a free agent following the 2023-24 season. DeBrusk has since found greater consistency in Vancouver, scoring a career-high 28 goals in 2024-25 before adding 23 last season.

Unfortunately, the Canucks are rebuilding. After making big changes and trading Quinn Hughes, additional pieces might be offloaded, and DeBrusk could be among them. He’s been publicly loyal, but he’s also hinted he’d embrace a change if it happened. What better opportunity might be out there than joining an up-and-coming Canadiens roster that made a playoff push last season and is widely regarded as one of the top Canadian teams in 2026-27?

Debrusk makes $5.5 million, which in today’s changing NHL landscape is practically nothing. His salary wouldn’t disrupt the internal ceiling or contracts that currently exist on the roster, so there’d be no concern about bringing in a player who makes near what the top guys are making. He’d also contribute offensively, given that he’s been a consistent 20-plus goal scorer in four of his last five seasons. The one season he didn’t score 20, he scored 19.

It would be a solid bet for Montreal, giving him a clear top-nine role with an opportunity to contribute on the power play and help in other ways. He could bump Alex Newhook down to a third-line role, slotting on the second line with Jake Evans and Ivan Demidov.

As for the return, DeBrusk would fetch the Canucks something useful, but it wouldn’t be a king’s ransom.

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