PJ’s ponderings: If you’re rebuilding, you can’t be shy about who you’re moving on from.<\/p>\n
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Published Jan 11, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 4\u00a0hours ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 5 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n It was funny hearing Jake DeBrusk\u2019s name come up on the trade rumour hot stove this week, since I\u2019d had a chat with him last week about how much losing here pains him, how much he wants to be part of the solution.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. 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I asked him. \u201cOh no. I\u2019m here to stay. To fix this.\u201d<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n And yet I can understand why other teams might look at him and say \u201cthat\u2019s a guy we could use.\u201d<\/p>\n Listen, for all the struggles he\u2019s had, the frustrations he\u2019s had at times with his own play, there are a couple truths about him: first, he clearly cares, second, he\u2019s still scoring.<\/p>\n He\u2019s scored 12 goals this season, 11 of them on the power play. He\u2019s one of the league\u2019s best finishers on the man advantage. In the playoffs, that counts.<\/p>\n Part of why the losing is hitting him especially hard is another truth about him: he has been a winner. He played in the Stanley Cup Final in 2019. He had 27 regular-season goals that year. He was a key part of a very good team.<\/p>\n He doesn\u2019t want to go, but if another team comes calling, should the Canucks really say no? If the task is to get younger, does it really make sense to hang on to a 29-year-old winger instead of securing some youth in exchange for him?<\/p>\n He\u2019s not the only player I\u2019ve been thinking about this week as a trade chip here. Let\u2019s ponder some of the others \u2026<\/p>\n Canucks Report<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Kiefer Sherwood<\/p>\n I mean, we know this one is going to happen. He\u2019s showing up to work, he\u2019s saying all the right things, but you know he\u2019s anxious for his name to no longer be floating around out there. He just wants to end up wherever he\u2019s going to end up.<\/p>\n As others have said, if another team had offered a first-round pick, he\u2019d be gone by now; in similar terms, if his agents didn\u2019t think they\u2019d land a big offer this summer in free agency, he might have instead signed a contract extension to stay in Vancouver.<\/p>\n And so he waits. The Canucks clearly see prices improving as we get closer to the trade deadline. It made some sense that they might find a first-mover who\u2019d be willing to pay a premium to get ahead of the market, but obviously that hasn\u2019t materialized. Now they\u2019re entering a window where they hope teams start bidding against each other.<\/p>\n \u201cThings are heating up,\u201d a source told me.<\/p>\n CHEK-TV\u2019s Rick Dhaliwal said this week that the Canucks made an inquiry to the Oilers about maybe taking him back.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n I mean, the Oilers have a pair of duds in Andrew Mangiapane and Trent Frederic, so sure, why wouldn\u2019t you call up to see if the guy they did kind of like would be welcomed back, especially when he\u2019d be half the price.<\/p>\n The fact the Oilers apparently said \u201cno thanks\u201d could mean a lot of things, but most simply, shipping Kane onward won\u2019t be as easy as perhaps the Canucks thought. When they acquired Kane, Canucks management felt he wouldn\u2019t be too hard to move again if he didn\u2019t work out, since there were a handful of other teams they claimed had also talked to the Oilers about the veteran winger. Presumably, the Canucks figured, some of those teams would remain interested.<\/p>\n Tyler Myers<\/p>\n The big veteran is surely going nowhere, though if he were floated as a trade chip I expect other teams would take a look.<\/p>\n It hasn\u2019t been the easiest season for him in Adam Foote\u2019s man-on-man system, but he still has his moments where you can see the pedigree. He hasn\u2019t been an NHLer for as long as he has been by accident.<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n He\u2019s still got a full no-move, no-trade clause and he and his family are well settled here in Vancouver.<\/p>\n The Canucks, also, know they do need some veteran stability going forward into this supposed rebuilding era.<\/p>\n Teddy Blueger<\/p>\n He\u2019s close to a return. He\u2019s supposed to play in the Olympics.<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to see him pulling much in a trade, but he\u2019s been a depth pickup heading into a playoff run before. Vegas added Blueger at the 2023 deadline and won the Stanley Cup, though the checking centre played a pretty minor role in the playoffs that year, appearing in just six games.<\/p>\n Still, he\u2019s been there and teams usually like that kind of thing.<\/p>\n David Kampf<\/p>\n He\u2019s also going to the Olympics. Like Blueger, he\u2019s known for his defensive play more than anything else. Unlike Blueger, he\u2019s even less of an offensive threat.<\/p>\n Still, if a team is looking to add a guy who has played in the NHL and is reasonably reliable, even if he really does offer nothing in terms of offensive punch, he\u2019ll appeal to someone.<\/p>\n Advertisement 6<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n There are a lot of guys out there like him and Blueger, though.<\/p>\n Elias Pettersson<\/p>\n Finally, could the Canucks\u2019 No. 1 centre be on the move?<\/p>\n It\u2019s not impossible. As I said a week or so ago, there have been calls about him. Other teams are still intrigued by him, given his strong two-way play. He\u2019s not scoring as much as you\u2019d like, but he\u2019s an outstanding defensive player.<\/p>\n Carolina has been interested in the past. They are again, reportedly, trying to find a new home for Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Such a trade would be a real shift in vision for the Canucks, but maybe the move here is to just move on from all the players who were part of the old group \u2014 the old group that did blow up, let\u2019s not forget that.<\/p>\n A team that needs a top-notch centre, one who is close to elite but not a true out-and-out No. 1 guy, say, like Chicago or San Jose, who have young superstars as their top-line centres, would be a good fit.<\/p>\n The Canucks of course once had that: they had J.T. Miller and Bo Horvat along with Pettersson.<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard not to think of how this all could have gone differently, if ego and pride and a better vision from the top had been there. But that\u2019s all gone now.<\/p>\n The future, with Pettersson or not, is going to be difficult for a while here.<\/p>\n If the Canucks are aggressive, it doesn\u2019t have to be difficult for that long. But does this ownership, this management, have the guts to go through with a properly aggressive rebuild?<\/p>\n We\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n pjohnston@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n![\"Jake](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2254396735_300623076.jpg\")
Jake Debrusk attempts a deflection against Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen during the first period Photo by Joe Hrycych \/Getty ImagesArticle content<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.3.0\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-vp.svg\"){kind=logo}
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Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets defends against Evander Kane of the Canucks in a Nov. 8 game in Vancouver. Photo by Derek Cain \/Getty ImagesEvander Kane<\/p>\n
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