Alex DeBrincat may be the one name left in Detroit that Red Wings fans can still breathe easy about.
July has already taken a few familiar faces out of the picture. Patrick Kane is gone.
Steve Yzerman is out. Dylan Larkin still wants to go.
So naturally, the question lands on DeBrincat next: could he be the next core piece to leave Hockeytown?
It’s possible. But it doesn’t sound likely.
The biggest reason is pretty straightforward. If Detroit is willing to pay DeBrincat market value, there’s a strong expectation he’ll stay. He’s heading toward unrestricted free agency after the upcoming season, and with three 40-goal campaigns on his résumé, he would draw plenty of attention if he ever hit the market.
Still, the idea that he’d be eager to bolt doesn’t fit what he’s said or how he lives.
DeBrincat wanted the return to Detroit to mean something, and not just because it put him back in a Red Wings sweater. Michigan is home.
His family is here, including his parents and his children’s grandparents. That part matters to him, and people close to him know it.
He’s not chasing a flashy lifestyle. Away from the rink, he wants the quiet version of life - staying home, being around his family, keeping things simple.
“I love it here,” DeBrincat said at the end of the season, discussing his future. “This is my home. I’ve loved every bit of playing here.
“I think this is definitely a team I want to be a part of for a long time, and I think everyone knows that.”
That doesn’t close the door completely. DeBrincat was clear about that too.
“It’s a business, so we’ll see what they want to do,” DeBrincat said.
But the message is easy to read. Detroit doesn’t need to do anything dramatic to keep him around. If the Red Wings pay him what he’s worth, and show him that respect, they should have their answer.
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A new study commissioned by Casino Guru put a number on something the Red Wings have long tried to balance, and the result was not flattering. Using a custom aggression rating built from penalty minutes, fighting majors, hits, major penalties and league discipline, Detroit landed at the bottom of the NHL pack with a 6.80 score out of 100, a label that underscores just how little bite the team showed over the 2025-26 season.
The numbers behind that ranking help explain the verdict. Detroit logged 1,480 hits and only 11 fighting majors, the second-fewest total in the league, leaving the club near the bottom in both physical play and overall edge. For a team trying to establish a tougher identity, that kind of profile is the sort of thing that tends to follow a roster around until it changes on the ice. [Read more 🡒]
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The interesting part is that the work may not be finished. Detroit could end up with several players posting hefty hit totals this season, which would be a noticeable shift for a club trying to get harder to handle in its own division. The Red Wings are also still linked to Eeli Tolvanen, another name that would fit the same theme, and that suggests the organization is still searching for the right mix of bite and balance before it calls this makeover complete. [Read more 🡒]