It’s no secret that Jake DeBrusk’s seven-year tenure with the Boston Bruins was not without its challenges — the 27-year-old did ask for a trade on two different occasions, after all. And after signing with the Vancouver Canucks in free agency on July 1, the former first-round pick broke his silence on the trade requests that made him a pariah to the fanbase in Beantown.
“Just with the way the team was shaping up when it came to looking at where I could possibly play in the lineup and things like that and how the [previous] year ended, I got scratched in the playoffs, and I was just thinking about a fresh start for both sides,” DeBrusk said on The Cam & Strick Podcast earlier this week.
“At that point, I made the call to try and get it moving forward. I didn’t think they were taking it seriously, and I thought that, at that point, I was fighting for my career. I thought I could add more than what was happening, and I didn’t see anything changing.”
DeBrusk was selected by the Bruins No. 14 overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, and was an important piece of the roster that marched all the way to the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. But his final years were mired in controversy, with the winger requesting a trade once in the summer of 2021, and again — publicly — in November of that year.
That certainly didn’t endear him to a very passionate Bruins fan base, although DeBrusk made it clear it didn’t change anything in the dressing room. He ended up rescinding that request and staying with the Bruins, signing a two-year contract on the same day of the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline. DeBrusk enjoyed the best season of his career in 2022-23 under new head coach Jim Montgomery, scoring 27 goals and 50 points in just 64 games.
“It’s not that I didn’t want things to work out,” DeBrusk explained about his last few years in Massachusetts. “Sure enough, things fell back into place again. At that point in time, I wouldn’t have seen this four years later. It taught me a lot about myself. I felt like my back was against the wall constantly.”
When his contract with the Bruins expired, DeBrusk finally opted for a change of scenery and headed back to his home country after inking a massive seven-year, $38.5 million deal with the Canucks in free agency.
Jake DeBrusk excited for a fresh start with Canucks
“I had a really good feeling about the [Canucks] and we were talking and things of that nature and things were looking like they were going to hopefully go in the right direction,” DeBrusk told NHL.com shortly after signing.
“I woke up pretty early today and it felt like a pretty normal day, and then as soon as got the confirmation that I was coming here I’ve been overwhelmed for the whole day. It’s been really exciting and it’s something I just can’t wait to get to the city, and I can’t wait to get started. I feel very, very lucky and honored to be on the Vancouver Canucks.”
The Canucks are fresh off an exhilarating run to Game 7 of the second-round, where they were eventually defeated by the Edmonton Oilers, who themselves came within one win of capturing a first Stanley Cup in over 30 years. And with DeBrusk now in the fold, the club will be looking to take the next step after winning the Pacific Division in 2023-24.
“Knowing I’m going to be in Vancouver and having stability is something I’ve never had. It’s something I’m just lucky and fortunate to be in the position,” said DeBrusk.
Now with a fresh start and clear excitement to begin the next chapter of his career, it’ll be intriguing to see how DeBrusk fares with a couple of star linemates in Vancouver’s top-six.
He’ll be back at TD Garden with his new team on November 26.
