NHL Trades and Rumors
Canucks Bench Jake DeBrusk: Could a Trade Be Coming?
Jake DeBrusk being benched has sparked questions, and Elliotte Friedman shared the latest on his situation in Vancouver.
The Vancouver Canucks have sent a message to one of their highest-paid players, as Jake DeBrusk will be a healthy scratch for Monday night’s divisional clash in Seattle with the Kraken. Naturally, questions will surface out the decision, including whether this type of move will lead to talk about a possible trade as the organization is likely to sell ahead of the NHL trade deadline.
Head coach Adam Foote and DeBrusk himself met with the media on Sunday to explain the decision, framing it as a reset for a player who has scored just one goal over his last 16 games.
While everyone involved appears to be on the same page here, when a team that just committed to a rebuild by trading Quinn Hughes scratches a veteran player, trade speculation is inevitable.
Because of that, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman addressed DeBrusk’s situation and future in Vancouver during the latest episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, noting that he doesn’t see this as an immediate trade signal—though he acknowledges why the chatter is picking up.
“I don’t know if you’re jumping to that conclusion yet… I still want to wait and see a bit, but I understand why it becomes a big deal… You take a look at DeBrusk’s minutes in his last few games. 18, 13, 18, 16, 19. Like you can’t look at this and say he’s not playing. It’s not the same to me as some of these other situations. But, so that’s why I’m not jumping to that conclusion yet. But, I understand that it’s in Vancouver at a time where they’re trying to move people, I know why it becomes a story,”
DeBrusk is in the second season of the seven-year, $38.5 million contract he signed to join the Canucks as a UFA in 2024. The 29-year-old has tallied 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) through the first 37 games of the 2025-26 campaign.
Should Vancouver Look to Trade Jake DeBrusk?
While nothing appears imminent in terms of the Canucks moving DeBrusk, it does beg the question of whether they should be looking to do so in further commitment to rebuilding.
Despite his recent slump, DeBrusk remains a value top-six forward that a number of playoff-contending teams would surely love to get their hands on. Not to mention his $5.5 average annual salary is very reasonable in today’s rising salary-cap environment.
It feels weird to consider trading a big-time free agent that was signed less than two years ago, but he was brought in to help push the core group of Hughes, J.T. Miller, and Elias Pettersson, led by head coach Rick Tocchet, over the hump. Instead, here we are almost 18 months later, and all that’s left of that core is Pettersson, who could very well find himself on the move at some point, too.
Given the circumstances, it seems prudent for Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin to at least gauge the market for DeBrusk; otherwise, it’s hard to really call this a rebuild.
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