Should the Sabres pursue Jake DeBrusk this off-season?
In a recent article for Daily Hive, Trevor Beggs looked at nine potential trade destinations for Vancouver Canucks forward Jake DeBrusk. The Buffalo Sabres were among the teams mentioned by Beggs.
"Buffalo will be hard-pressed to re-sign Alex Tuch this summer. If they don’t, DeBrusk could be a viable replacement in the top-six," Beggs wrote.
The idea of the Sabres taking a run on DeBrusk if they lose Tuch is understandable. The 2015 first-round pick is coming off a solid season on a bad Canucks team, as he had 23 goals and 42 points in 81 games. He has also scored at least 23 goals five times during his career. This included during the 2024-25 season with Vancouver when he scored a career-high 28 goals.
With numbers like these, DeBrusk would certainly have the potential to be a good addition to the Sabres' roster. This also remains the case if the Sabres are able to keep Tuch around, too. Due to his ability to play both wings, DeBrusk could fit in the Sabres' top nine very well if acquired.
DeBrusk would be more than a rental for the Sabres if acquired, too. This is because he has a $5.5 million cap hit until the end of the 2030-31 season. With this, he would be a long-term part of the Sabres' roster if they successfully brought him in.
It will be interesting to see if the Sabres decide to make a push for DeBrusk this off-season. They would not be the only team in on the sweepstakes, though, as DeBrusk is the kind of scorer that playoff clubs should be looking to add.