Jake DeBrusk’s Message to Bruins Fans as He Joins the Canucks
On July 1, Jake DeBrusk, a long-time member of the Boston Bruins, signed with the Vancouver Canucks as an unrestricted free agent. Two days later, DeBrusk took to social media to bid farewell to the Bruins fans and the Boston hockey community.
“Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Thank you to all of the people that I got to meet and had the pleasure of getting to know throughout my last 7 years in the black and gold. There will always be a place in my heart for Boston and that’s because of my teammates that I went to battle with and the fans who were with me from the start! In saying all that I am extremely excited to start this new chapter in my career and to be in Vancouver and to put on that Canucks jersey! #itsshowtime #cheers,” DeBrusk posted on Instagram on July 3.
DeBrusk, drafted 14th overall by the Bruins in 2015, played 465 games with the team, scoring 138 goals and assisting on 128 for a total of 266 points. As he moved to the Canucks, he signed a seven-year, $38.5 million contract with an annual cap hit of $5.5 million, securing his position through the 2030-31 season.
Canucks’ Strategy in Free Agency
The Canucks’ acquisition of DeBrusk was a strategic move. While other high-profile forwards like Jake Guentzel, Steven Stamkos, and Elias Lindholm were available, Vancouver targeted DeBrusk from the start. Thomas Drance of The Athletic reported that the Canucks never sought Guentzel’s signing rights, instead focusing on DeBrusk as their primary target to strengthen their top-six forward group.
Bruins’ New Signings
Despite losing DeBrusk, the Bruins made significant moves in free agency. They signed former Canucks center Elias Lindholm to a seven-year, $54.2 million contract, marking the largest deal of the 2024 offseason. Lindholm’s contract has an average annual value (AAV) of $7.75 million, making it the second-largest in AAV, just behind Steven Stamkos’ $8 million AAV with the Nashville Predators.
Additionally, the Bruins signed defenseman Nikita Zadorov from the Canucks to a six-year, $30 million deal. Zadorov, often compared to Bruins’ legend Zdeno Chara, requested fans not to call him “Big Z,” out of respect for Chara’s legacy.
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