The Detroit Red Wings’ latest stretch of organizational chaos has created a situation where just about anything feels possible, and Alex DeBrincat has now been pulled into the conversation as a player to watch.
With Steve Yzerman relieved of his duties in July after Dylan Larkin asked for a trade, Detroit suddenly had multiple fires to put out at once. The club was also trying to sort out contract extensions for restricted free agent defenseman Simon Edvinsson and DeBrincat, all while uncertainty swirled over who was actually calling the shots. Shawn Horcoff is the interim GM, but Chris Ilitch is the owner, and that ambiguity has reportedly worn on players and made the Red Wings a tougher sell for free agents.
That backdrop has already had real consequences. Larkin’s public trade request and Yzerman’s exit pushed Patrick Kane back to the Chicago Blackhawks. And now, amid his own contract situation, Simon Edvinsson is said to be preferring a trade rather than staying in Detroit.
Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period added another name to the mix during a recent appearance on TSN Radio in Montreal. Asked to name a player who could move this season that people might not expect, Pagnotta pointed straight to DeBrincat.
Host: “Dave, we got one more for you. You always give us a player that is going to move.
A couple years ago was (Jakob) Chychrun, I think. And who’s who’s who’s next?”
Dave Pagnotta: “I’m going to say Alex DeBrincat.”
Host: “Write it Down!”
Pagnotta: “I think, with what’s going on in Detroit, unless they’re going to give him what he wants.”
Host: “Well, what about the big guys? What about (Dylan) Larkin? What about (Connor) Hellebuyck?”
Pagnotta: “I mean, those are the obvious ones”
Host: “Yeah, we need a Dave Guy.”
Pagnotta: “Yeah, that I just beat down every week. That that’s the guy.
Yeah, I’m gonna, I’ll go with off the top of my head. I’ll go with, I’ll go with DeBrincat.
I think I’m missing someone. There’s got to be somebody else.
I know I’m missing someone, but, but I’m gonna for now, off the top of my head, I’m going with Alex DeBrincat out of Detroit.”
DeBrincat, of course, came to Detroit because he wanted to be there after leaving the Ottawa Senators. He’s now in the final year of his deal and looking for a raise from his current $7.875 million AAV.
The issue is whether the Red Wings will be willing to go to his number, which is believed to be somewhere in the $11 million to $13 million range annually. If that sounds steep, Pagnotta suggested it could even climb higher.
And while DeBrincat’s name is the one drawing attention right now, the bigger point is that this situation could keep spiraling if Detroit keeps missing on the business side. If the Red Wings miss the playoffs again, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see more trade requests surface or more players start looking for the exit during the season.
DeBrincat isn’t the only pending UFA the club has to think about, either. Justin Faulk and John Gibson are also among the players who will need new deals when free agency opens on July 1.
The message is simple: handle your business before things get messy. For now, DeBrincat’s contract talks are the next Detroit storyline worth tracking closely.
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Edmonton has come up as a possible fit because the Oilers are always hunting for impact talent, and Raymonds age and skill set make him the kind of name that naturally stirs up speculation. The tricky part is finding a package that makes Detroit even pause, which is why any potential deal starts to feel like a bigger test of direction than a simple hockey transaction. The framework being floated is built around a sizable return, but the real question is whether the Red Wings would ever be willing to move a player who could still be part of their next core. [Read more 🡒]
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There are different theories for why some of these players are looking around or have complicated futures, from wanting to play closer to family to simply searching for a better team fit. What is not clear is whether the Olympic gold run itself changed anything in the short term, and for Detroit the real intrigue is what comes next for a captain whose future no longer feels as settled as it once did. [Read more 🡒]
DeBrincat Just Put Detroit's Biggest Contract Decision Into Focus
Alex DeBrincats situation has become one of the clearest contract storylines hanging over Detroit as the season gets underway. The winger is in the final year of his deal, and with extension talks now on the table, the Red Wings are being forced to weigh how aggressively they want to secure a core scorer before the market and the season move any further.
The timing matters because Detroit has spent recent years trying to build something stable enough to take the next step, and DeBrincat sits right at the center of that effort. The question now is less about whether he fits than how far the Red Wings are willing to go to keep him, with the answer likely to shape how the front office approaches the rest of its business. [Read more 🡒]