Alex DeBrincat wants up to $14 million a year, and one Canadian team may have a path to land him
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Alex DeBrincat scored 41 goals for Detroit last season and wants $12 million to $14 million a year. Here's what it would take for the Oilers to land him.
The Edmonton Oilers keep getting linked to Alex DeBrincat, and a fresh post on X is adding more fuel.
The 28-year-old Red Wings winger put up 41 goals and 85 points in 82 games last season, and he's in the final year of the four-year, $31.5 million contract he signed in 2023.
The post from IceMetrix passes along a take from Matt Larkin, who pictures Edmonton as the number one fit for DeBrincat.
"The Edmonton Oilers are the number 1 team that i would picture as the ideal fit for Alex Debrincat."
- Matt Larkin
- Matt Larkin
Why the fit makes sense
It's easy to see the appeal.
DeBrincat and Connor McDavid were teammates with the Erie Otters in junior, and Edmonton has been tied to the hunt for another proven top-six scorer all summer.
On the ice, he's a right winger who has scored 80 goals over the past two seasons, which is the kind of finishing the Oilers could use next to McDavid or Draisaitl.
Detroit is in flux too. Steve Yzerman stepped down as general manager, and Shawn Horcoff was only named interim GM on Sept. 15.
DeBrincat has said he intends to stay in Detroit, and insider David Pagnotta says the belief is he wants $12 million to $14 million a year on an extension.
What a trade would cost
Cap space is the first problem.
DeBrincat carries a $7.875 million cap hit, and Edmonton has very little breathing room, so salary would have to head the other way.
One proposal floated a protected first-round pick, Quinn Hutson and Kasperi Kapanen.
Detroit could ask for more, and DeBrincat reportedly holds a 16-team no-trade list.
The smart play is a phone call, not a bidding war.
If the price climbs past a first and a young piece, Edmonton should walk away.
Also read on House Of Hockey :
Latest Connor Hellebuyck trade update isn't what the Jets hoped for
Latest Connor Hellebuyck trade update isn't what the Jets hoped for