Insider suggests Canucks could trade leading goal scorer for absurd reason

Vancouver Canucks forward Jake DeBrusk. Bob Frid-Imagn Images

Insider suggests Canucks could trade leading goal scorer for absurd reason

Originally posted on NHL Trade Talk | Last updated May 30, 2026 6:34 PM ET

It’s not often that you hear about a trade rumor and a player being moved because their individual production was too good. That seems to be the case in Vancouver and with Canucks forward Jake DeBrusk, if insider Nick Kypreos’ report is accurate.

As part of his recent trade bait board, the NHL insider wrote the following:

“The situation just has not worked out as planned with Jake DeBrusk in his two years with the Canucks. His own production has remained relatively steady in recent years, but he’s meant to be a big, complementary winger with strong linemates instead of a team’s goal-scoring leader, which he was in Vancouver this season.”

Excuse me? It’s a problem that DeBrusk scored too many goals, and because someone else was projected to score more and DeBrusk was signed to be more of a complementary winger, the Canucks might trade him?

Kypreos adds, “He makes $5.5 million through the 2030-31 season, which is not a bad rate for a player of his skill as the cap rises. Lots of teams are thinking long and hard about this player, and getting him to waive his no-move out of Vancouver is not expected to be an issue.”

This is even stranger. Kypreos is not only arguing that DeBrusk was too good, and he’s cheap enough that teams would like to add his 23 goals at a team-friendly rate.

Make this make sense.

Why would the Canucks trade Jake DeBrusk for scoring too much?

The only logical explanation for what Kypreos is suggesting would be that the Canucks think this was a bump in scoring that DeBrusk can’t repeat. If the intention is to sell high, does Vancouver want to get the best return while they can?

On the surface, that seems potentially logical. But, when you consider that DeBrusk has made multiple 20-plus goal seasons, his 23 last year is not a shocker. In fact, in 2024-25, DeBrusk scored 28. In 2022-23 with the Boston Bruins, he had 27. This is not a surprising production at all, and based on his point totals, there were opportunities for the Canucks to sell and the return could have been higher.

The only other explanation is that DeBrusk wants out. If that’s the case, it’s easier to understand why Vancouver would be shopping him, given that a rebuild is on the horizon and they don’t see him as part of their long-term core group.

This article first appeared on NHL Trade Talk and was syndicated with permission.

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