Updated 3x at 10:16 PM: Good news from NHL.com’s Nicholas J. Cotsonika:
Alex DeBrincat wants to stay with the Detroit Red Wings despite Dylan Larkin’s trade request, Patrick Kane’s departure and the ongoing search for a general manager.
DeBrincat, who grew up in the Detroit area, led the Red Wings in goals (41) and points (85) last season. In three seasons with them, he has scored 107 goals, 10 more than his closest teammate, Larkin.
The 28-year-old forward is entering the final season of a four-year, $31.5 million contract ($7.875 average annual value) he signed with the Red Wings on July 9, 2023. He is eligible to sign an extension, but talks are on hold due to the GM situation.
“When a new GM (is announced), I’m sure there’s going to be some conversations, but you know, as of right now, my opinion hasn’t changed,” DeBrincat said at the NHL/NHLPA North American Player Media Tour on Tuesday. “I love playing for the Red Wings. I love wearing that jersey and battling with those guys out there. My intention is obviously to stay in Detroit. We’ll see what happens, I guess.”
DeBrincat admits that he’s disappointed about losing Patrick Kane to the Chicago Blackhawks…
“It (stinks) for me and for our team,” DeBrincat said. “He was a big part of our team, obviously skill-wise but also leadership-wise. For me, he’s one of my best friends. He’s a guy I hang out with. Our kids are great friends. In that aspect of it, it (stinks). But if he’s going to go anywhere, I’m happy he went to Chicago. I feel like him going back home is probably the story that needed to be written.”
And there is this:
The players have been skating informally at Little Caesars Arena, and DeBrincat said Larkin has been around the rink. How has he been received after his trade request?
“From my perspective, he’s a great teammate, he’s a great friend of mine, and that’s a decision he made,” DeBrincat said. “That’s about as far as I’m going to go there. He’s always been a great teammate to me and a great friend. I feel like at this moment our team is definitely better with him, and he’s still our leader. He’s still one of our best players. That’s the way it is.”
Update #1:
DeBrincat on Larkin's trade demand: "It sucks. But it doesn’t really change what we think of him. He’s still a great player, he’s been a great friend & a great teammate. We obviously love him here. It's up to him to answer what's next. But we're happy to see him at the rink."
— Michael Traikos (@Michael_Traikos) September 9, 2026
Update #2: Hello, irony, per the Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta:
Update #3: From Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin, regarding the captain’s trade request and more:
“It sucks. Doesn’t really change what we think of him,” DeBrincat said Tuesday. “He’s still a great player. He’s been a great friend and a great teammate to me, and we obviously love him here. That’s kind of for him to answer, what’s next for him. But for us, I think it’s all the same. We’re happy to see him at the rink and happy to get started.”
Still, with all due respect to new additions such as Viktor Arvidsson and Keegan Kolesar: neither comes close to replacing Larkin. Nor will they fully paper over the hole left by DeBrincat’s longtime linemate Patrick Kane, who returned to the Chicago Blackhawks in free agency.
And then there’s RFA Simon Edvinsson, a rising star as a towering two-way monster on Detroit’s blueline, unsigned and offer-sheet eligible, with the lack of a GM halting contract talks. He lamented this week that “there’s no one to talk to” about getting a deal done.
“It’s like anything, you don’t really like change, it feels uncomfortable for a bit,” DeBrincat said. “But at this time, we’re all just excited to get back. Obviously we want Simon there, but I think he is still going to be in Detroit, maybe come hang out with the guys, I’m not really sure what his plan is, you guys would have to ask him. Overall, I think we’re just excited to get back and play hockey again. That’s where we can get away from everything. I think all the guys are excited to get back as a team and see each other again and just play. “
DeBrincat expresses excitement over the coming season and goes as far as claiming the team is “looking essentially the same as we were last year.” He can try his best to squint and see the Wings’ potential to defy expectations and make the playoffs. Maybe Larkin ends up playing some or all of the season with Detroit while awaiting a trade. Maybe they get another strong season from John Gibson in net. Maybe DeBrincat tops 40 goals again. Maybe Moritz Seider remains an all-world presence on defense. Maybe one of the Wings’ prospects, such as Nate Danielson or Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, has a breakthrough season. But there’s no hiding from the fact DeBrincat is 696 games and nine seasons into a highly productive career and has competed in the playoffs just once – in the 2019-20 COVID-19 bubble tournament, which gifted his then-team, the lowly Blackhawks, a flimsy berth with the league’s 23rd-best points percentage. Even though playing for the Wings is a childhood dream realized, they haven’t made the playoffs in 10 years, the longest active drought in the NHL. Little Caesars Arena opened in 2017 and has yet to host a postseason NHL game. DeBrincat is 28, with three 40-goal seasons to his name, and his prime years are wasting away.
He wouldn’t be human if he didn’t at least consider that this season, his UFA walk year, is crucial in deciding whether he wants to be a Red Wing long term.
“Winning is very important to me, and I think we’re a lot closer than people are giving us credit for,” he said. “And for being in Detroit, I’ve said it all along, I love it here, and ultimately that’s where I want to end up. But there’s a lot of things that go into that. So we’ll see what happens when a new GM comes in. But overall, I love the guys, I love the team, love playing for the Red Wings. That’s something that we all take tremendous pride in, putting that jersey on every night and the history that goes into it.”
