Jake DeBrusk Details His Departure From The Bruins And Decision To Sign With The Canucks

On July 1, the Vancouver Canucks made a big splash, signing unrestricted free agent winger Jake DeBrusk to a seven-year, $38.5 million contract. The soon-to-be 28-year-old had spent his entire seven-year career with the Boston Bruins and is coming off a 19-goal, 40-point campaign in 2023-24. Despite the familiarity with Boston's organization, DeBrusk felt a change was necessary when his contract expired this past summer. Now with some long-term security, DeBrusk is ready to settle in and become a key part of the lineup.

While DeBursk had a successful career with the Bruins, scoring 138 goals and recording 266 points in 465 games, there were some tough times, especially at the beginning of his career. Playing on a powerhouse Boston team, DeBrusk sometimes found himself playing down the lineup while not getting opportunities he arguably earned. As DeBrusk explains, while these were difficult moments, they helped him develop as not just a player but also a person.

"Going back to that time, It was a really tough time for me, said DeBrusk. "Kind of have your back ends well as a player. You're worried about not only playing but your career and how things are going. You learn a lot about yourself in those moments, and it gives you confidence when you get out of them. My teammates that were there really had my back and really helped me get out of there and get me back to my game. I think that I was able to do that, and it changed the way my career went. Changed the way I had to adjust to certain things on and off the ice. It makes you mature really quick when you think your dreams gonna be taken away from you."

Another challenge that DeBrusk has had to deal with throughout his career is trade rumours. Back in 2021, Bruins GM Don Sweeney made it publicly known that DeBrusk had requested a trade, while a rumour at the last trade deadline had him headed to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a three-team trade that would have seen the Canucks land Jake Guentzel. While DeBrusk says he wasn't too focused on the day-to-day trade rumour news, it was hard to escape, thanks to social media.

"When things like that goes public, it's pretty in your face. We see things nowadays on social media and stuff, but there's so many rumours. I think I was in trade rumours from the first year I was there, so it's one of the things where I felt like I was probably gonna be on 20 different teams at one point. At the end of the day, it didn't work out that way, and end up not getting traded from them, but obviously signing here."

Heading into the 2024 offseason, DeBrusk wanted to sign somewhere that he felt wanted him to stay long-term. While there were other offers at the time, he chose to sign long-term in Vancouver, joining the Canucks until the end of the 2030-31 season. According to DeBrusk, seeing that Vancouver wanted to make such a big investment in him was one of the reasons he decided to sign on July 1.

Related: Addition Of Jake DeBrusk Should Help Balance Out Canucks Top-Six

"It was a big, big reason why I signed here, honestly. It's kind of a joke around 20 teams, but, like I said to my agent and them, it does help, eases the mind a little bit. It's one of those things where they showed that they really wanted me here, and it's something that I take very seriously. I want to pay that back off and do as best as I can."

Another reason why DeBrusk chose the Canucks has to do with the players and the current reputation of the franchise. Whether he plays beside Elias Pettersson or J.T. Miller, he is going to get plenty of opportunities to thrive and become a consistent 30+ goal scorer. Described as a hard team to play against according to DeBrusk, Vancouver's newest winger sees a lot of potential with this group, which was another key reason he chose to sign with the Canucks.

"Looking at the center position, I think, was kind of the first thing that I really looked at. And then, how they played last year, playing against them, Rick Tocchet's reputation, all these things come into it when you try to decide your future. I really like where the team is going. They made some big steps last year, and I just thought that I would be able to fit in pretty well. It excited me looking at the roster with the makeup for the next couple of years, and to join a group like that, I couldn't say no."

Adding a player of DeBrusk's calibre is exactly the type of move GM Patrik Allvin needed to make this offseason. Not only did the signing add depth to Vancouver's top six, but it also brings in a motivated player with a lot of potential. While it will be a while before an official grade can be put on the signing, early indicators point to this being a massive win for both the Canucks and DeBrusk.

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