Steve Yzerman made his biggest move of the summer in addressing the Detroit Red Wings‘ need for scoring power.
After weeks of speculation, the Wings completed a trade for Farmington Hills native Alex DeBrincat, a 25-year-old with two 41-goal seasons on his resume. The Wings were in a need of a goal scorer after Yzerman traded Tyler Bertuzzi and Jakub Vrana at the March deadline.
Yzerman sent Dominik Kubalik, prospect Donovan Sebrango, a conditional first-round pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick to the Ottawa Senators.
SHAWN WINDSOR: Red Wings’ pursuit of Alex DeBrincat isn’t a magic fix. But it’s a step forward.
DeBrincat joined the Senators last summer, when he was traded by the team that drafted him, the Chicago Blackhawks, for picks No. 7 and 39 in the 2022 draft, and a third-round pick in 2024.
DeBrincat’s resume shows his scoring prowess: 41 goals each in 2018-19 and 2021-22; 32 goals in 50 games in 2020-21 (the pandemic-shortened season); at least 20 goals in five of six NHL seasons. He has 187 goals and 373 points in 450 games. He has 11 goals and 30 points in 23 career games against the Wings.
The Red Wings also announced they have signed DeBrincat (5 feet 7, 165 pounds), who was a restricted free agent, to a four-year contract extension with an annual average value of $7,875,000. He’s coming off a three-year, $19.2 million contract that carried a $6.4 million annual average value.