Canucks Summer Faceoff: Which is more likely – DeBrusk 30 goals or Sherwood 20 goals?

Less than a month away from training camp, it’s time to start thinking about the way the 2025-26 season may unfold for members of the Vancouver Canucks in JPat’s Canucks Summer Faceoff.

For the second straight year, CanucksArmy is conducting a late-summer thought exercise. All week, we will present a pair of options and ask you which is more likely to occur. Without the benefit of a crystal ball, of course, it’s impossible to know how things will go. So we will present cases for both scenarios, and we’re looking for your gut reaction to which one is more likely to happen by season’s end.

Jake DeBrusk scores 30 goals or Kiefer Sherwood scores 20 goals?

DeBrusk

Jake DeBrusk established a career best with 28 goals in his first season with the Canucks. So to get to 30 goals for the first time in the NHL, he will need to set another career high. It can be done, but expecting players in the middle of their careers to repeatedly reach new heights is a big ask. Half of DeBrusk’s goals came on the power play last season, and while he may feature prominently with the man-advantage again, there is no certainty that he collects 14 power play goals. He also reached 28 goals with a shooting percentage (16.4%) well above his career average. So it’s fair to ask if he can repeat that?

However, it’s also possible that if Elias Pettersson re-establishes himself as a star playmaker, someone like DeBrusk may benefit greatly. DeBrusk has scored 25, 27 & 28 goals in three of the last four seasons. So he’s a proven 25-goal guy that now should legitimately set his sights on reaching the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career. Much of it will come down to how well he finishes, but some of it will depend on who he plays with. The Canucks need DeBrusk to be one of their goal-scoring leaders, and there’s every reason to believe he should push to be the team’s top goal scorer for a second straight season.

Sherwood

Kiefer Sherwood’s numbers were up across the board in his first season in Vancouver. Not only did he lead the NHL with 462 hits, he reached career bests in goals, assists, points, ice time, shots and shooting percentage. Was it a career year for the 30-year-old, or is there still room for improvement in his game?

Sherwood went from a previous best of 10 goals in his final season in Nashville to 19 in his first season with the Canucks. And 18 of those 19 goals came at even-strength, so there was no power play inflation taking place. Sherwood finished fifth on the team with 141 shots on goal and benefited from a 13.5% shooting percentage. It was the best of his career, but it wasn’t outrageously overheated.

The veteran winger should return next season brimming with confidence after what he accomplished in 2024-25. In a season when much went wrong for the Canucks, Kiefer Sherwood was without question one of the good news stories on the team. The Canucks need him to be his buzzsaw best again next season and will certainly take whatever offence he can offer, along with the intangibles he brings to the mix.

Which is more likely to happen?

It won’t come as a surprise if Jake DeBrusk reaches the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career. With JT Miller no longer here, the Canucks will need the top of their lineup to produce, and DeBrusk falls squarely into that category. He showed a knack for getting to the net and finding loose pucks last season. He’ll need to do more of that in 2025-26.

Sherwood, meanwhile, doesn’t have to repeat his scoring feat of last season to impact games and have a successful second season in Vancouver. He needs to remain aggressive on the forecheck, contribute on the penalty kill and chip in with offence where he can. But on the surface, it feels like it may be difficult for him to reach 19 goals for a second straight season.

Verdict

Jake DeBrusk is more likely to hit the 30-goal mark.

What do you think, Canucks fans? What’s your verdict: Will Jake DeBrusk score 30 goals, or will Kiefer Sherwood score 20?