Trending or Ending: Alex DeBrincat Is Leaving the Red Wings? – The Hockey Writers – Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings’ offseason has already delivered one seismic departure, with Steve Yzerman no longer the general manager. The team is also likely to trade captain Dylan Larkin, who requested a trade, in part because of his relationship with Yzerman and the forward’s impatience over the team’s lack of success. It’s no wonder that attention has turned to veteran forward Alex DeBrincat, Detroit’s leading scorer, and questions surround his future. Is he next out the door?

In my latest installment of the Trending or Ending series, I’m taking a look at whether recent rumblings about DeBrincat possibly leaving the Red Wings should be taken seriously.

The Case for “Trending”: DeBrincat Has To Be Concerned

DeBrincat has to be watching what’s going on in Detroit and thinking, ‘This can’t be good.’ All the while, if he becomes available, the interest from other teams will be real. As Detroit fields calls on Larkin, David Pagnotta reported that multiple clubs also inquired about DeBrincat’s availability. As many as six separate organizations could be circling the player.

The timing makes these rumors somewhat believable. DeBrincat is entering the final year of his contract at a $7.875 million cap hit, coming off a career year — 41 goals, 85 points — that positions him for a massive raise, with some projections putting his next deal as high as $12-15 million annually. He’s still young, the cap is going up, and teams likely feel the Red Wings are crumbling behind the scenes. Take an expiring contract, a rebuilding front office in transition, and a player about to get significantly more expensive, and you have the perfect storm for a blockbuster trade.

If Larkin is gone and Patrick Kane returns to Chicago, what’s really holding DeBrincat in Detroit?

The Case for “Ending”: DeBrincat Is Happy In Detroit

DeBrincat was asked point-blank about his future in Detroit, and he gave absolutely no indication that he was looking for a way out: “Absolutely. I love it here,” he said, explicitly stating he wants to stay beyond this season.

A report by Detroit Hockey Now‘s Bob Duff also suggests a trade is “unlikely,” reporting that DeBrincat will stay as long as the front office pays him fair market value. Detroit also has the cap room to make it work — with tens of millions in future space, giving the front office room to extend him without financial gymnastics.

Multiple follow-up reports confirm that DeBrincat sees Detroit as home. They add that trade buzz has cooled compared to a month earlier.

Even if the team was looking to make a trade, DeBrincat has some say as to where he winds up. He has a 16-team no-trade list built into his current deal, meaning any team hoping to acquire him needs to be somewhere he’d actually approve.

So, Trending or Ending?

This one leans toward ending, despite the noise. I believe the interest from other teams is genuine, but genuine interest isn’t the same as suggesting the Red Wings have an intent to sell or that the player is looking to leave.

Everything from DeBrincat’s own comments to insider reporting to Detroit’s cap situation points toward an extension being the far more likely outcome. The Larkin situation created the conditions for this rumor to spread. Yzerman’s exit only poured gasoline on the fire. That doesn’t mean it’s happening and that everyone in Detroit feels the way Larkin does.