The Vancouver Canucks are one of the NHL’s most interesting teams to watch this offseason. With the Canucks being in a full-on rebuild, there is certainly a chance that we will see them trade away some of their veteran players this summer.
The Canucks made several moves during the season to kick off their rebuild. Quinn Hughes, Kiefer Sherwood, Tyler Myers, and Conor Garland were all traded away to new teams during the 2025-26 campaign. It is not difficult to understand why, as the Canucks were the NHL’s worst team by a significant margin this past season.
Now, with the offseason here, two of the Canucks’ top forwards have made Nick Kypreos’ latest trade board for Sportsnet: Jake DeBrusk and Elias Pettersson. It makes sense, as both players have been in the rumor mill for a long time now. Furthermore, with this year’s pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) not being the strongest, DeBrusk and Pettersson could be valuable trade chips for Vancouver to dangle.
Canucks’ DeBrusk Should Be a Popular Target for Teams Looking for a Top-Six Scorer
Out of the two Canucks trade candidates listed by Kypreos, DeBrusk is the player who should be easier for Vancouver to move. This is because DeBrusk has a $5.5 million cap hit through the 2030-31 season, which is a good price for a top-six winger. This is especially so with the NHL salary cap going up.
Due to this, DeBrusk should generate a lot of interest from teams looking for scoring help in their top six. The 29-year-old forward was one of the rare bright spots for the Canucks in 2025-26, as he led the team in goals with 23 goals and posted 42 points in 81 games. This is after he set a new career high with 28 goals and posted 48 points in 82 games during his first season as a Canuck in 2024-25.
With all of this, DeBrusk is a forward whom the Canucks should be able to get a good return for if they move him. A second-round pick and a good prospect could be a realistic return in a deal centering around DeBrusk. Some teams that could make sense as landing spots for DeBrusk include the Edmonton Oilers, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils, and Ottawa Senators.
Canucks’ Pettersson Is A Potential High-Risk, High-Reward Trade Target
It is no secret that Pettersson would benefit from a change of scenery. That has been the case for multiple seasons now. However, his contract is where things get complicated with a potential move, as he has an $11.6 million cap hit through 2031-32. He also has had back-to-back shaky seasons.
However, Pettersson’s immense past success could lead to some teams being interested in taking a chance on him. Just back in 2023-24, he recorded 34 goals and 89 points. This was after he had 39 goals and 102 points in 80 games for Vancouver during the 2022-23 season. With this, he is a prime high-risk, high-reward trade target for teams looking for help down the middle.
It will be interesting to see if the Canucks can find new homes for Pettersson and DeBrusk this offseason from here.
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