To say Jake DeBrusk’s first season in Vancouver was a whirlwind is probably an understatement.

He was joining a team that was coming off a strong season, looking like they were going places. Sure, they probably weren’t going to repeat as division winners, but they’d played hard in 2023-24, they played a fun two-way system, they had a couple of star centres, a superstar defenceman, a player-friendly coach and of course there’s Vancouver itself, a great place to live.

DeBrusk was signed to help improve the team that had pushed the Edmonton Oilers , eventual Stanley Cup finalists, to the brink. And on the ice, he delivered, scoring 28 goals, a career high.

But very little else went to plan. The Canucks didn’t stumble out of the gate, indeed their start suggested maybe they’d continue on

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