Jake DeBrusk Had This Gut Feeling Before Leaving Bruins

Jake DeBrusk had options.

After seven seasons in Boston, DeBrusk became an NHL free agent for the first time when the calendar flipped to July. And as a forward who boasts game-changing speed and a penchant for scoring big goals, DeBrusk and his team likely knew the open market was going to be favorable.

Appearing on “The Cam & Strick Podcast,” DeBrusk acknowledged there was no shortage of offers from interested teams. But one club proved to separate itself from the pack.

“There were a lot of offers, though, from different teams, varying in terms of years and conditions,” DeBrusk said, as transcribed by CanucksArmy. “Vancouver hit everything on the head. My gut was telling me Vancouver, and it was one of those things where you try to weigh everything. You don’t want to doubt yourself, but I am very grateful it worked out this way.”

DeBrusk plans to bring Bruins principles to Vancouver, where the Canucks haven’t reached the conference finals since the memorable 2010-11 season. As a player who spent significant time around great leaders like Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara, DeBrusk has an opportunity to provide a wave of new, effective guidance to a franchise that could use it.

The veteran wing is set to return to his old stomping grounds Nov. 26 when the Bruins host the Canucks.