Canucks Listening On Jake DeBrusk
Canucks winger Evander Kane is a known piece of trade bait after his struggles producing at home in Vancouver, especially given his pending free-agent status, but he’s not the only ‘Nucks winger on the market this spring. Vancouver is also listening to offers on Jake DeBrusk after being informed he is willing to waive his no-movement clause, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports.
It’s not at all surprising that the Canucks would listen to offers for DeBrusk, given the way their season has played out and considering their bevy of other bloated long-term commitments. The Canucks signed DeBrusk to a seven-year, $38.5MM contract with a $5.5MM cap hit in free agency in 2024 after he spent the first seven years of his career with the Bruins. DeBrusk was two years removed from a 50-point showing and had hit 25 goals three times in Boston, so he was viewed as an important piece to help replace a Vancouver middle six that had lost Elias Lindholm and Ilya Mikheyev that summer.
Things have gone quite poorly in Vancouver since his arrival, though. Their offense, which scored 3.40 goals per game in their Pacific Division-winning 2023-24 campaign, dropped to 2.84 GF/G last season and further to 2.54 this year. They’re in a seven-point hole in last place in the league coming out of the break and have no hope of re-entering the playoff picture. They’ll want to sell off as much as possible to accelerate the rebuild that began with the Quinn Hughes trade earlier this season, but without any high-end pending UFAs to dangle, moving largely consistent producers with control like DeBrusk has to be a consideration.
While DeBrusk’s 13 goals in 57 games this season are one of the worst per-game outputs of his career, his overall point production – adding 15 assists for 28 points – has been enough to rank third on Vancouver in scoring behind Elias Pettersson and Filip Hronek. He’s also been brought down by a terrible 8.3% finishing rate, nearly half of last year’s mark and well below his career average. Averaging north of 17 minutes per game, he’s generating shot attempts at a career-best rate, although his usually above-water possession metrics leave something to be desired.
All that said, DeBrusk is ripe for an increase in production with a change of scenery. At a $5.5MM cap hit, his career average of 24 goals and 46 points per 82 games becomes attractive in a rising cap environment, especially as he’s cost-controlled for five more seasons with gradually relaxing trade protection. Producers with similar recent offensive track records, like Michael Bunting and Anders Lee, are projected to earn as much or more on the open market this summer.
Considering teams are facing what now looks to be a historically weak UFA class this summer, next week’s deadline could be a chance for clubs to do early bidding to address future holes in their roster. DeBrusk will be of interest to many in need of short and long-term top-nine help. Among the teams to have placed exploratory calls on DeBrusk are the Kraken and Red Wings, plus the Bruins exploring a reunion with him, per Pagnotta, but all of those conversations still appear to be in their early stages.
Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings Interested In Tyler Myers
Last night, in the NHL’s return to action after the Olympics, multiple reports indicated that the Vancouver Canucks will be healthy-scratching veteran defenseman Tyler Myers for trade-related purposes. Speculation began surrounding a few teams, but Myers can control his destiny given the no-movement clause in his contract. It was believed at the time of reporting that Myers would be okay with a few destinations.
Still, Detroit, or any team acquiring Myers, would arguably be acquiring him at a career lowpoint. The 17-year veteran has registered only one goal and eight points in 57 games for the Canucks this season with a -25 rating. While Myers has never been relied upon for his offensive prowess, that output projects as the lowest-scoring season of his career across a full season.
Canucks Scratching Tyler Myers For Trade-Related Reasons
Feb. 26th: Although early speculation linked Myers to the Edmonton Oilers, TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reported that the Oilers are not one of the teams that are interested in acquiring Myers.
Feb. 25th: With the trade deadline now just a week and a half away, we will soon be seeing an uptick in players being held out of the lineup to avoid any injury risk before a potential trade. The Rangers did it with Artemi Panarin before the Olympic break and now the Canucks will be doing so with a veteran as well. Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that blueliner Tyler Myers will be scratched tonight against Winnipeg for trade-related reasons. This comes on the heels of a report from ESPN’s Kevin Weekes (Twitter link) that Vancouver is fielding plenty of calls on the veteran and that he could be on the move soon.
TSN’s Darren Dreger adds (Twitter link) that the Canucks went to Myers with this trade option a couple of days ago. With a full no-move clause, Myers has full control over his situation and he and his camp are still pondering the potential change of scenery. Clearly, even though a deal might not be imminent, the team isn’t taking any chances and is holding him out just in case.
The 36-year-old came into the NHL with plenty of fanfare in 2009 after being the 12th overall pick by Buffalo the year before. With Myers jumping into a top-pairing role right away, expectations were quite high that he could be a legitimate franchise defender.
While he hasn’t been able to live up to that hype and ultimately struggled in a prominent role over the years, Myers has still been a steady second-pairing defender for the better part of the last decade. He’s in the middle of his seventh season in Vancouver, one that has seen his offensive production basically dry up altogether as he has been limited to just a goal and seven assists in 57 games. However, he remains a key defensive defender for them and sits second on the team in blocked shots and third in shorthanded playing time.
Myers is in the second season of a three-year, $9MM contract that runs through the 2026-27 season. With a $3MM cap charge that is certainly affordable for the role he plays (he’s averaging over 20 minutes per game once again), that and the fact he’s not a rental player should certainly have Vancouver well-positioned to command a quality return, especially with a lack of quality right-shot options available.
A move shouldn’t necessarily be considered an automatic, however. Myers has made it known over the years that his desire has been to remain with the Canucks no matter what, which played a role in his below-market contract with them. Assuming the other suitor is a legitimate playoff contender, it will be interesting to see if the allure of making a push for a Stanley Cup is enough to make him agree to be moved.
Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.
Blueger Wants To Stay In Vancouver But No Extension Talks Yet
- Speaking with reporters including Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre, Canucks center Teddy Blueger noted that he’d love to remain with the team but as of yet, there haven’t been any discussions about a possible contract extension. The 31-year-old has been limited to just ten games this season heading into tonight’s action due to injury but has been surprisingly productive in those, notching five goals and three assists. Known as more of a checking center throughout his career, Blueger is likely to garner interest before next week’s trade deadline from teams looking to shore up their bottom six. He’s a pending unrestricted free agent with a $1.8MM cap charge.
Canucks Make Several Roster Moves
On top of having a potential trade on the horizon to shake up the roster, the Canucks have made several roster moves today. The team announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Zeev Buium, winger Brock Boeser, and center Marco Rossi have all been activated off injured reserve. To make room on the roster, center Filip Chytil was placed on IR retroactive to February 18th.
Buium was the centerpiece of the return in the Quinn Hughes trade back in December. He’s in his first full NHL season (after a brief stint with Minnesota in the playoffs last year) and has shown some flashes of the dynamic offensive upside that made him the 12th overall pick in 2024. While he’s still going through the ups and downs of his first taste of NHL action, Vancouver has been deploying him in a top-four role when he has been healthy and he has six points in 20 games since the swap. Buium had been out for the last month due to a fractured cheekbone.
Boeser, meanwhile, missed the last month with a concussion. The 29-year-old has struggled by his standards this season, potting 12 goals and 13 assists in 50 games. Two years ago, he had a career-high 40 goals and 73 points and reached the 50-point mark for the fifth time last season, earning him a seven-year, $50.25MM agreement to remain with Vancouver in the opening day of free agency last summer. While this season is a write-off for the Canucks in terms of the standings, he’ll certainly be looking for a big finish to show he can still be a top contributor.
Rossi also came to Vancouver in the Hughes trade but hasn’t had a chance to showcase himself much since then. Injured at the time of the swap, he only got into eight games with his new team before sustaining a lower-body injury in late December, one that took nearly two months to return from. With the Canucks lacking capable options down the middle, it’s fair to say that they will be giving Rossi a big role over these next couple of months to try to determine what the best spot on the depth chart will be for him moving forward.
As for Chytil, his tough injury luck continues. While this particular injury isn’t a recurrence of the concussion symptoms he has battled frequently in recent years, it’s one he sustained in practice after taking a puck to the face. Chytil was also supposed to be a part of Vancouver’s solution down the middle after being acquired last season but has played in just 27 games with the Canucks since then, including 12 this season where he has three goals. The retroactive placement makes him eligible to be activated at any point moving forward once he’s cleared to return.
Canucks Haven't Received Any Offers For Elias Pettersson
On the trade market for nearly a month, the expectation remains that Vancouver Canucks forward Evander Kane will be moved in the next few days before the trade deadline. On Insider Trading, TSN’s Chris Johnston reported renewed interest in Kane from playoff-bound teams after the Olympic break.
He didn’t provide an exhaustive list, but Johnston stated that the Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, among others, have each inquired about Kane to some capacity. Johnston doesn’t expect the price to be all that high, and he indicated that the Canucks have no issue retaining half of Kane’s salary for the rest of the season, making him much more financially palatable.
- On Insider Trading, TSN’s Darren Dreger spoke briefly about Kane’s teammate, Elias Pettersson. Although there is heightened interest in Pettersson, Dreger shared that the Canucks haven’t received any legitimate offers for their first-line center and haven’t had any reason to contact Pettersson or his agency about waiving his full no-movement clause. After scoring 73 goals and 191 points in 162 games from 2022 to 2024, Pettersson has only registered 28 goals and 79 points in 113 games since, making him a difficult player to assess. Factoring in his $11.6MM cap hit through the 2031-32 season, it’s becoming increasingly likely that Vancouver won’t find a suitable offer.
Latest On Canucks Deadline Plans
- The Vancouver Canucks have a whole host of trade possibilities to consider as the trade deadline inches closer, and most attention has been paid to the team’s pending UFAs, including veterans Evander Kane and Teddy Blueger. But that’s not the only trade avenue the Canucks are looking at in their quest to add more future assets to their team. The Athletic’s Thomas Drance reported that the Canucks are “actively exploring” their options in terms of “weaponizing” its cap space in order to add assets. While Drance noted that the more favorable cap environment likely takes deals such as the Canadiens’ acquisition of Sean Monahan and a first-round pick off the table, Vancouver could still have some options with how to utilize its projected $5.7MM (or more) cap space set to be available by deadline day.
Canucks Reassign Aku Koskenvuo, Recall Nikita Tolopilo
The Canucks announced Monday that they’ve reassigned goaltender Aku Koskenvuo to AHL Abbotsford and recalled fellow netminder Nikita Tolopilo in his place. They continue to carry three goaltenders on the active roster, with Kevin Lankinen still working his way back into the mix after representing Finland at the Winter Olympics.
Koskenvuo, 22, wraps up a brief look in practice amid his first professional season. A fifth-round pick in 2021, he played three years at Harvard before signing his entry-level contract with Vancouver last March.
He’s spent the year bouncing between Abbotsford and ECHL Kalamazoo, receiving relatively equal workload in both leagues, although he’s been rostered with Abbotsford since mid-January thanks to the organizational ripple effect of Thatcher Demko‘s season-ending hip surgery. He hasn’t jumped off the page at either level. He has a 3.20 GAA, .895 SV%, and one shutout with a 2-5-0 record in nine appearances with Abbotsford, and a .898 SV% and 2-4-0 record in six games with Kalamazoo.
Tolopilo, 25, continues to jockey for position with Jiří Patera to serve as the third goalie on the depth chart behind Demko and Lankinen, a spot that will earn someone the backup job for the stretch run due to Demko’s absence. Tolopilo’s numbers lag behind Patera’s in the AHL, but the Belarusian has been the far superior option when given NHL spot starts this season.
In seven starts and nine appearances, he’s put up a 3-3-1 record with a .910 SV% and 3.04 GAA – excellent numbers, especially considering the porous defense Vancouver’s exhibited this year. He leads Canucks netminders with 3.5 goals saved above expected this season, per MoneyPuck. It wouldn’t be all too surprising to see the 6’6″ netminder usurp Patera quickly if given the chance and help relieve Lankinen’s workload down the stretch.
Jonathan Lekkerimaki To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
It has been a bit of a tough season for Canucks winger Jonathan Lekkerimaki. He dealt with an early-season injury and has bounced around between Vancouver and AHL Abbotsford. Now, his campaign is coming to a premature end as CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal reports (Twitter link) that Lekkerimaki is set to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery.
The 21-year-old was the 15th overall selection by Vancouver back in 2022 but hasn’t been able to establish himself as a regular with them yet. He missed a little more than a month to start the season with that injury and has had three stints with AHL Abbotsford and two others with Vancouver since mid-November.
One of those NHL opportunities came in the weeks leading up to the Olympics as Lekkerimaki got into Vancouver’s last five games before the break. On the season, he has a pair of goals along with an assist in 13 outings while averaging 11:41 per night. That production was in line with how he fared last season when he notched three goals and three helpers in his first 24 career NHL contests.
Lekkerimaki had fared much better in the minors. He’s tied for fourth in team scoring despite only playing in 21 of 52 games with 13 goals and seven assists. Four of those points came in five games after being sent down to get some more game action in during the Olympic break.
While it was expected that Lekkerimaki would return to Vancouver following the break or soon after depending on trade deadline activity, that’s clearly no longer an option with this news. Now, his sophomore year has come to a premature end and he’ll head into training camp in the fall looking to grab a hold of a full-time NHL spot for the first time.
Canucks’ Filip Chytil Out Indefinitely With Facial Fracture
Canucks center Filip Chytil sustained a facial fracture in Wednesday’s practice and will be out indefinitely, Jeff Paterson of Rink Wide: Vancouver reports.
Considering Chytil’s long history of concussions, a simple fracture is far from the worst-case scenario after he was dazed by taking a puck to the face in the session. The 26-year-old has only been good for 12 appearances this season, missing three months early in the season with an upper-body injury that was suspected to be at least his third concussion in the last three years. He returned for a six-game stretch before the Olympic break, before sitting out of Vancouver’s last contest with migraine headaches.
Concussions and facial injuries have now limited Chytil to less than a full season’s worth of games over the past three years. He’s only played in 78 of 221 possible regular-season games, equal to 35.3%, since the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign. That window of inavailability came just after the Czech center finally seemed to break through into a top-nine role with the Rangers, rattling off a career-high 22 goals and 45 points in 74 games in the 2022-23 campaign.
That type of production might just be too far gone for Chytil to get back to that level, though. Acquired from New York in last year’s J.T. Miller trade, he’s suited up 27 times for Vancouver in the last 13 months with five goals and four assists for nine points with a -18 rating. That’s a 15-goal, 27-point pace over 82 games – closer to fourth-line production than the second-line role behind Elias Pettersson they were initially hoping he could fill.
There’s little left to play for in Vancouver. They’re already 21 points back of the playoff cutoff in the West and are in a seven-point hole for last place in the league. While not mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, they’re a non-factor by all intents and purposes. That means the stretch run is exclusively about trying to get individual talents back on the right track – including Chytil – but whether he’ll heal enough to get back in the lineup before mid-April now remains to be seen.