Ex-Bruins forward shares heartfelt message after signing with Canucks

Jake DeBrusk will start a new chapter in his NHL career after he signed a seven-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks on the first day of free agency. The forward spent his first seven seasons with the Bruins after being drafted by Boston in the first round of the 2015 draft.

On Tuesday, DeBrusk took to Instagram to bid farewell to the team that gave him a chance and the fans that he played in front of for several years.

“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,” DeBrusk captioned the photo from the 2023 Winter Classic at Fenway Park. “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.”

The end of DeBrusk’s tenure in Boston came after a streaky regular season, but he was arguably the team’s best forward through two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs before the Bruins were eliminated by the Florida Panthers. He admitted he was surprised the two sides didn’t reach a deal during the season.

General manager Don Sweeney said while the team would like to have DeBrusk back, “negotiations are a two-way street.”

DeBrusk’s time with the Bruins wasn’t always perfect. He requested a trade in 2021, but Boston never found a trade partner. Instead they signed him a two-year extension at the deadline. In June 2022, after the Bruins were eliminated from the playoffs, the Bruins fired coach Bruce Cassidy, and DeBrusk rescinded his trade request before the season started.

While DeBrusk never confirmed nor denied whether Cassidy’s departure had to do with him remaining in Boston, he did say after talking to his teammates that it was an easy decision to stay.

But there were plenty of moments when DeBrusk shined for Boston, including the Winter Classic when he scored two goals — including the game-winner — against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Bruins’ comeback win.

DeBrusk will now have a new start in Vancouver — something he’s looking forward to.