MAJOR | Top prospect Hunter Brzustewicz reveals why he didn't want to sign in Vancouver

It seemed as if the Canucks had landed a steal when they drafted Hunter Brzustewicz in the third round of the 2023 NHL Draft. The defenceman started showing his elevated potential when the 2023-2024 season began, at which point the Canucks were heavily leaning on signing the prospect.

The Canucks eventually ended up trading him in the trade that saw the very coveted centerman Elias Lindholm land in Vancouver. Everybody wondered why they gave up so early on such a young promising player; it was later revealed that Brzustewicz was unwilling to ink a contract with the Canucks. In an interview on Flames Talk today, he admitted that he didn't want to sign due to the lack of opportunity on the Canucks' blueline.





The Nucks have what seems to be a pretty solid future. Names that come to mind are Filip Hronek and Tom Willander, who are both going to be part of the team's top four for the upcoming years.

Brzustewicz even went further and, when asked about the trade, hinted that he knew that once he refused to sign, a trade was a strong possibility:



The Defenseman now leads the OHL for points among blueliners. He's got 85 points through 62 games, which will definitely go down as one of the best single seasons from a defenseman in the CHL's history.