Former Senators forward Alex DeBrincat is already a very wealthy man. But now they're really lining up DeBrinc's trucks.
According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Detroit Red Wings are closing in on a seven-year, $91 million extension with DeBrincat, carrying an AAV of $13 million.
That would be a tidy raise over the four-year, $31.5 million contract DeBrincat signed after being traded from Ottawa to Detroit in July 2023. It would also make him the highest-paid player on the Red Wings, surpassing Dylan Larkin, who has five more years left on his deal at $8.7 million.
For Senators fans, the news is another reminder of a brief and regrettable chapter.
The Sens acquired DeBrincat from the Chicago Blackhawks at the 2022 NHL Draft, sending the Hawks the seventh and 39th overall selections, along with a 2024 third-round pick.
At the time, the deal was seen as a big step forward for a Senators team trying to emerge from the muck and goo of their rebuilding years. DeBrincat was coming off his second 41-goal season with Chicago, and looked like a guy who could bolster the top six in a big way.
But things didn't work out.
DeBrincat put up 66 points in 82 games during his lone season with the Senators in 2022-23. While those numbers were solid, they fell short of expectations.
More importantly, DeBrincat was unwilling to make a long-term commitment here. The Sens had acquired him with no assurances he stay here any longer than the two years left on his deal.
With the winger a year away from restricted free agency and unwilling to sign a lengthy extension, Pierre Dorion traded him to his hometown Red Wings for Dominik Kubalik, Donovan Sebrango, a conditional 2024 first-round pick and a 2024 fourth-round selection.
The return was considerably less impressive than the package the Sens had surrendered to acquire DeBrincat just one year earlier, though that first round pick did help them land Linus Ullmark in 2024.
Since arriving in Detroit, DeBrincat has rediscovered the scoring touch that made him such an attractive acquisition in the first place.
He enjoyed his best season as a Red Wing in 2025-26, scoring 41 goals and establishing a career high with 85 points in 82 games. He has also started well this season with eight points in his first six games, including a three point game against the Sens last week.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa