Analyzing The Alex DeBrincat Trade
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Just two days ago, Alex DeBrincat’s wish came true and he was traded to his childhood team, the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings sent Dominik Kubalik, Donovan Sebrango, a conditional 2024 first-round pick, and a 2024 fourth-round pick to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for the winger.
Why the trade makes sense for Ottawa
From the moment that the Chicago Blackhawks traded DeBrincat to the Senators, it was clear that he had his reservations. After five difficult and unsuccessful years in Chicago, coming to a team that had just finished a 33-42-7 season was not exactly appealing to the young star. Regardless, he played the entire 2022-23 season in a Senators uniform, resulting in 27 goals, 39 assists, and 66 total points. In Alex DeBrincat's terms, that is a down year, but he was still fourth on the team in each of those categories.
As a restricted free agent, it was unlikely that the Ottawa club would be at the top of DeBrincat’s list of ideal destinations. It was heavily speculated and ultimately became a reality that he wanted to end up in Michigan, his home state. Respecting his wishes, the Senators got the best return that they could from the Red Wings.
The pieces
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Dominik Kubalik, LW
Forward Dominik Kubalik, a former Calder Trophy finalist, had a breakout three years with the Chicago Blackhawks before being dealt to Detroit. He continued this impressive run on a new team with 20 goals and 45 points, one below his career high, in 2022-23. While not necessarily on the same level as top forwards Brady Tkachuk, Claude Giroux, and Tim Stützle, Kubalik is versatile and can be a solid addition to the top or bottom six, depending on how the rest of the offseason goes for Ottawa.
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Donovan Sebrango, D
The Ottawa Senators have acquired an interesting defensive prospect in Donovan Sebrango. He has spent a lot of time in between the ECHL and AHL over the past couple years and was an alternate captain on the gold medal-winning 2022 Canadian World Junior team. Sebrango, who grew up in Ottawa, will have the chance to spend time with the Belleville Senators and develop his offensive game, which is lacking compared to his defensive skills, this upcoming season.
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Conditional first-round pick and a fourth-round pick
Not only did the Ottawa Senators gain two intriguing players for DeBrincat, the team also received two draft picks in the coming year. As a team that is in a difficult spot and needs to commit to either the playoffs or a retool of some kind, having two first-round picks in 2024 or 2025, depending on which conditions are met, is extremely valuable. The fourth-round pick should also not be written off so quickly because gems can be found in the later rounds of the draft, like former alternate captain Mark Stone.
Why this trade makes sense for Detroit
The “Yzerplan” is slowly but surely coming together in Detroit, and this trade is a big piece to it. The Red Wings are getting a two-time 40-goal scorer in DeBrincat, who has been able to prove that he is his own player, no longer in the shadow of Patrick Kane. The 25-year-old is clearly still very young, but has plenty of NHL experience. He can bring a veteran presence as well as young energy to a Detroit team that needs both. While the Red Wings are in a very tough Atlantic Division and may not make the move to the postseason immediately, DeBrincat will be a huge help in order to jumpstart that. The Detroit Red Wings clearly had a lot of faith in Alex DeBrincat when they signed him to a four-year, $7.875 million extension, and rightfully so, as “Hockeytown” was the young winger’s ideal landing spot.
