The Pittsburgh Penguins should be looking to add to their forward group this off-season. It is clear that they could use another skilled winger in their top nine, and this will only be more of the case if Anthony Mantha signs elsewhere this off-season.
When looking at trade candidates around the NHL, Vancouver Canucks winger Jake DeBrusk stands out as a very interesting potential target for the Penguins to consider.
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With the Canucks being in a rebuild, DeBrusk’s name has been in the rumor mill since leading up to the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline. If he is made available by the Canucks this off-season, the Penguins would be wise to kick tires on him.
If the Penguins landed DeBrusk, he would have the potential to slot nicely in their top six. He would also give them another skilled forward on their power play.
DeBrusk would be more than a rental for the Penguins if acquired, too, as he has a $5.5 million cap hit until the end of the 2030-31 season.
In 81 games this season with the Canucks, DeBrusk scored a team-best 23 goals and recorded 42 points. This is after he scored a career-high 28 goals and posted 48 points in 82 games for Vancouver in 2024-25. With numbers like these, he would be a nice pickup for a Penguins club looking to continue to head into the right direction.
