Major statement by Elliotte Friedman on a trade involving star player Alex DeBrincat
Last summer, just before the first round of the NHL draft, Pierre Dorion made a big move. He acquired Chicago Blackhawks forward Alex DeBrincat, in exchange for three draft picks. The hopes were therefore high in the national capital, as the possibility of having the 25-year-old man long-term was strongly present.
Less than a year after this transaction, things seem to have changed for the Senators. The hope of agreeing to a long-term deal with their forward is becoming increasingly slim, so much so that Pierre Dorion, according to Elliotte Friedman, would be considering the possibility of trading him.
It must be said that DeBrincat's contractual situation is quite peculiar. The latter, who will be a restricted free agent on July 1st, is only a season away from having complete autonomy. The collective agreement also requires the Senators, if they do not come to an agreement with the young man beforehand, to submit a qualifying offer of 9 million dollars to retain his services.
It seems, according to Friedman again, that the Sens are looking at all options regarding him. Be it salary arbitration or a trade. DeBrincat has already indicated that he wanted to wait for the finalization of the organization's sale before considering a long-term commitment.
Ottawa's General Manager, Pierre Dorion, stated last February that there was no chance the team would trade DeBrincat. It seems things have changed quite a bit since then...
The Michigan native scored 27 goals and registered 66 points in his first season with Ottawa, ranking fourth on the team in both categories. DeBrincat has twice scored 41 goals in his career, most recently in 2021-22 with the Blackhawks.
There is no doubt that the DeBrincat file will be one of Dorion's priorities this summer. He will also have a lot on his plate as according to CapFriendly, no less than 10 other players from his main lineup will become free agents, both with and without compensation, on July 1st. They currently have a cap space of around $17.08M with only 11 players signed...
It will be interesting to see if DeBrincat will once again be traded at the draft, for a second time in as many years!
| POLL | ||
Who do you think will score the most points next year? | ||
| Johnny Gaudreau | 86 | 27 % |
| Alex DeBrincat | 31 | 9.7 % |
| Cole Caufield | 133 | 41.8 % |
| Connor Bedard | 68 | 21.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
