Free Agent Frenzy on July 1 continues to draw closer and TSN.ca keeps you up to date with all the latest news and rumours as the NHL off-season heats up.
An all-Canadian deal for DeBrusk?
Citing two league sources, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports the Ottawa Senators are among a group of teams who have shown interest in Vancouver Canucks winger Jake DeBrusk.
The Senators have been searching for a top-six winger this off-season to boost their offence and DeBrusk could fill that need after openly admitting earlier this year he didn’t fit in a rebuild in Vancouver.
“I think a rebuild is hard for every player, but at the same point it’s a great opportunity for younger guys,” DeBrusk said, per the Vancouver Province in March. “This game humbles everybody and it’s been a little bit more than humbling this year. Obviously, that [rebuild] is not something I would be okay with or accepting.
“My game doesn’t fit that.”
DeBrusk had 23 goals and 42 points in 81 games this past season with the Canucks, who finished last in the NHL.
The 29-year-old is entering the third season of a seven-year, $38.5 million contract that carries an annual cap hit of $5.5 million.
Garrioch writes that “the belief is that the Canucks may not be seeking much in return because they would like to get out from underneath the contract.” He notes that DeBrusk carries a full no-move clause through next season, but will see that shift to a 15-team no-trade list in 2027, meaning he may want to use his power to pick a destination now.
Garrioch has previously reported that the Senators off-season wish list includes a top-six winger, a top-four defenceman and a backup goaltender.
He reiterates that the Senators have interest in struggling Anaheim Ducks forward Mason McTavish and Jordan Kyrou of the St. Louis Blues. Kyrou, however, has a no-movement clause and Garrioch reports it’s believed he would not waive it for Ottawa, making such a deal with the Blues unlikely.
The Senators have nearly $17 million in cap space to work with this off-season with 19 players under contract for next season. Veterans Claude Giroux, Nick Cousins and Nick Jensen are among the team’s players set for unrestricted free agency, while Arthur Kaliyev, Jordan Spence and Leevi Meriläinen are in need of new deals as restricted free agents.
Nurse trade watch
Darnell Nurse’s time with the Edmonton Oilers appears to be at an end as he has requested a trade from the team.
TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston writes in The Athletic that Nurse informed the Oilers of his desire to be moved last week and submitted a short list of desired destinations.
The 6-foot-4, left-shot blueliner is entering the fifth season of an eight-year, $74 million contract that carries an annual cap hit of $9.25 million. He has a full no-movement clause through next season that will then shift to a 10-team no-trade list in 2027-28.
Nurse, 31, had seven goals and 24 points in 82 games last season while averaging 20:58 of ice time. He averaged 23:03 of ice time in six playoff games as the Oilers fell in the first round.
He helped the Oilers to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in 2024 and 2025, recording five goals and 14 points combined during the two playoff runs.
Potentially moving on from Nurse is the latest chapter in an off-season of change for the Oilers after firing head coach Kris Knoblauch last month. The team is considering Mike Babcock to fill the vacant role, but the NHL is moving ahead with its investigation of former Columbus Blue Jackets, Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings head coach following a request from the NHL Players’ Association.
Moving Nurse could free crucial cap space for the Oilers, who currently have a projected $14.59 million in space, per PuckPedia, with 17 players currently signed for next season.
The team has a long list of forwards headed for unrestricted free agency including Adam Henrique, Jason Dickinson and Kasperi Kapanen, in addition to defenceman Connor Murphy and goaltender Connor Ingram.
