THN’s Proteau: Alex DeBrincat’s on the Red Wings’ ‘hot seat’

The Hockey News’s Adam Proteau has been examining who might be on “the hot seat” for various NHL teams, and today, he discusses the Red Wings player and GM facing the most pressure to perform well this upcoming season:

Red Wings’ Hot Seat: Alex DeBrincat, LW/RW: DeBrincat got his wish and worked his way out of Ottawa this summer, but don’t fool yourself – as a hometown hero in Detroit and a player with a salary cap hit of $7.875 million, DeBrincat will get a ton of the spotlight and the attendant pressure.

The 25-year-old winger is entering his prime, and for his salary, he’s got to do more on offense than he did last season with the Senators, when he posted 27 goals – a drop-off of 14 goals from his 2021-22 campaign – in 82 games. DeBrincat will be a fixture on Detroit’s top forward line, but he has to justify that move, and his salary, with drastically-increased production. The Red Wings are under pressure to get back into the playoffs in 2023-24, and if they fail to do so, and DeBrincat doesn’t generate enough offense, he’ll hear the heckles of frustrated Wings fans.

DeBrincat is signed for the next eight seasons, so we don’t see a trade happening anytime soon, but fans can quickly sour on a player if the doesn’t deliver what they want out of them. DeBrincat should tread lightly now that he’s got the employer he wanted, because now that they’ve paid him like an elite player, they expect him to perform like one.

Continued; there’s no doubt in my mind that DeBrincat faces a ton of pressure to perform, but I’d suggest that Proteau’s “Warm Seat” member, one GM Steve Yzerman, is the person in the Red Wings’ organization facing the most pivotal season during 2023-2024.