Senators have trade interest in Canucks' DeBrusk: report
Ryan Johnson has had a busy first few weeks as Vancouver Canucks GM, but things are about to pick up.
The Stanley Cup Final will be wrapped up by next Wednesday at the latest, with the NHL Draft taking place the following Friday.
Aside from the Canucks preparing for their most important draft in years, there’s also the potential for Johnson to make his first trade as GM.
And, if there’s one player who’s most likely to be traded from the roster, it’s Jake DeBrusk.
Although the 29-year-old always exudes positivity in interviews, it’s clear that he didn’t sign up for a rebuild in Vancouver. The Canucks rebuild will likely span the duration of the five years remaining on his contract. DeBrusk will be nearly 35 years old when the deal ends.
That, coupled with the fact that he’s still productive and has a reasonable $5.5 million cap hit, makes him the likeliest of Canucks trade candidates.
And apparently, the Ottawa Senators are among a “group of teams” interested in acquiring the winger.
Ottawa Sun reporter Bruce Garrioch wrote on Wednesday that two league sources confirmed to him that the Senators are targeting DeBrusk for an upgrade to their top-six forward group.
The Senators have nearly $17 million in cap space this offseason, with Jordan Spence being the only notable free agent of note to sign.
In terms of a potential return, the Canucks would be hard-pressed to get a first-round pick for DeBrusk. Although it’s worth noting that Ottawa’s first rounder is the last pick of the first round. Could Vancouver sweeten a potential DeBrusk deal with a lower pick to snag 32nd overall in the draft?
Ottawa also doesn’t have a second-round pick in 2026, although they do own three third-round picks.
While Garrioch’s report didn’t name others that are interested in DeBrusk, there is a group of other teamsĀ that make sense as a landing spot.
DeBrusk does have a say on where he wants to end up. He has a no-movement clause in his contract, although it does change to a 15-team no-trade list on July 1, 2027.