Alex DeBrincat's stay in Ottawa could end up being a brief one
When the Ottawa Senators traded a trio of draft picks in exchange for Chicago Blackhawks winger Alex DeBrincat, pretty much everyone viewed the swap as an absolute steal for the Sens.
One factor that many may have overlooked is that DeBrincat has just one year remaining on his current deal, which carries a $6.4M cap hit before becoming a restricted free agent next summer. From there, it's possible that DeBrincat takes his one-year qualifying offer (a $9M salary) and then departs via free agency.
The Athletic's Scott Powers revealed this week that the Sens came up with "by far" the best offer for DeBrincat, packaging the 7th overall pick in 2022 (Kevin Korchinski), the 39th overall pick in 2022 (Paul Ludwinski) and a 2024 3rd round pick in exchange for the two-time 40-goal scorer. He also revealed that DeBrincat was unwilling to negotiate an extension before the trade.
Whether or not this is because DeBrincat has his heart set on going to free agency in the summer of 2024 or because he wanted to test the waters in Ottawa for a couple of seasons before making a decision on his future is up in the air. From his standpoint, I'm sure it will be nice to have a layout of the land before committing long-term. But, I wouldn't rule out the 24-year-old eyeing up a mega deal in free agency in a couple of years.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 16 | 629 ANSWERS Alex DeBrincat's stay in Ottawa could end up being a brief one Do you think Alex DeBrincat will sign long-term in Ottawa? | ||
| Yes, he'll stay in Ottawa | 266 | 42.3 % |
| No, he's heading to free agency in 2024 | 363 | 57.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
