What will the senators do? Alex DeBrinkat? Should the Red Wings come after him? Check out the latest at the NHL Rumor Mill today.
The latest sensor amplifiers
the athlete: Ian Mendes noted that a lot of Senators fans and the media were concerned about what they saw as Alex DeBrinkat’s half-hearted answers on Friday regarding his future in Ottawa.
Mendes recalled that DeBrincat told him he enjoyed playing and living in Ottawa but wanted some time to figure out his future. The 25-year-old winger is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer and is also one year away from unrestricted free agent eligibility.
Senators general manager Pierre Dorion has indicated that his club will submit the $9 million qualifying offer to DeBrincat by the June 25 deadline. The wing camp has until July 15 to accept it. If they don’t, he remains a restricted free agent and his rights still belong to the Senators for 2023-24.
Mendez believes the Senators hope to negotiate a long-term contract for DeBrincat with an average annual value of less than $9 million. However, they could consider trading him if he was only interested in accepting his qualified offer.
Spectator note: The Ottawa Sun’s thought Bruce Jarioch DeBrincat could be traded by the opening round of the 2023 draft to Nashville in late June. We will probably know by mid-June how this situation will end.
Turning to the Senators’ target, Mendes doesn’t see waiting for UFA Cam Talbot to return. He believes they need to target a goalkeeper aggressively for next season.
Ufa market is weak with Jonas CorbesaloAnd Tristan GaryAnd Jonathan Quick And Frederick Andersen It holds important questions. Mendez suggested that they package some younger pieces to get Netminder cross trade.
SPECTATOR NOTE: Garrioch recently reported that Dorion was breathing for a goaltender before the trade deadline, but Talbot was healthy and promising Mads Sugard It was solid until late February. With Talbot likely on the run and Sogard likely headed to the AHL next season, Dorion could be active in the trade market this summer.
The red wings should drive out the Dipprinkat
Detroit hockey now: Bob Duff examines the pros and cons of the Red Wings’ pursuit of DeBrincat. He noted that Wings GM Steve Yzerman and head coach Derek Lalonde have indicated that their team needs more scoring.
A two-time 40-goal scorer like DeBrinkat would fill that need for the Red Wings. He’s also a native of Farmington Hills, Michigan, which leads Duff to ask if he’s open to moving back home.
The downside is DeBrincat’s 5’8″, 178lbs would add another small forward for an already small team. There’s also the condition of his contract that makes him a risky acquisition unless he agrees to an extension as part of the deal. Duff questioned how he’d feel about joining a rebuilding team last.
Bystander’s note: The Suites have a depth of tradable assets to make a tempting offer for the Senators. They also have plenty of room to sign him to a lucrative long-term contract.
However, whether they were willing to make this kind of grand bargain was another matter. They’ll also have to outbid several other teams that will certainly have an interest in DeBrincat, especially given the lack of young talent in this year’s UFA market.
MLIVE.COMAnsar Khan recently pointed to Yzerman’s comments suggesting he will be looking to the free agent market to bolster the wingers’ attack. The Wings GM has acknowledged the lack of depth in this summer’s market and how it is likely to get thinner when some of these players re-sign with their current teams.
Khan speculated that Yzerman could take the trade route. He noted that the Wings have raised a lot of start-up capital to use as trade chips, including two first-round picks and three second-round picks in this year’s draft, and a second-round pick next year.
Observer’s Note: Yzerman has mostly avoided making big deals aside from shipping Anthony Mantha To Washington by the 2021 deadline for Jacob Vrana and draft footage. It was a trade that initially looked good for both clubs but eventually turned nasty.
However, Yzerman may not have much of a choice if this summer’s UFA market is quickly depleted. Someone like Senator DeBrincat could be a tempting business target.