The 5 Best Trade Landing Spots for Ottawa Senators Winger Alex DeBrincat

On the opening day of the 2022 NHL draft, the Chicago Blackhawks shipped Alex DeBrincat to the Ottawa Senators for a first-round pick (seventh overall), a second-rounder (39th overall) and a 2024 third-round pick. Less than one year later, the 26-year-old soon might be on the move again.

In mid-April, Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch told TSN that DeBrincat was non-committal about signing a contract extension with the Senators. That could put his future with the team in jeopardy.

"The Senators won't keep him unless they can get some kind of long-term extension in place," Garrioch said. "... I think there's a possibility that at the draft, we may see Alex DeBrincat get moved."

A restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer, DeBrincat is also a year away from unrestricted free agent eligibility. He's completing a three-year contract with an average annual value of $6.4 million, but he earned $9 million in actual salary this season. That's how much it'll cost the Senators to qualify his rights for 2023-24.

Senators general manager Pierre Dorion has indicated the club will qualify his rights for next season. Meanwhile, DeBrincat told the Ottawa media that he was "definitely open for anything" but wanted to discuss his future with his family and agent.

DeBrincat would attract plenty of attention in the trade market. A six-year NHL veteran in his playing prime, he's tallied 27 or more goals five times, including two 41-goal seasons. The lack of comparable scoring wingers in this summer's free-agent market would only further boost his trade value.

Here's a look at the five best landing spots for Alex DeBrincat based on factors such as roster need, salary-cap space and whether a club is in contention or rebuilding. Feel free to express your views in the comments section below.

The Calgary Flames face a summer of change after missing the playoffs this season. Brad Treliving stepped down as general manager in mid-April, leaving the Flames in search of a replacement before the NHL draft in June and the start of free agency on July 1.

Treliving's replacement must address the Flames' decline in production this season. They tumbled from sixth overall in goals-per-game average (3.55) in 2021-22 to 19th (3.15) this past year. Perhaps they'll look to DeBrincat to fix that problem.

Flames centers Mikael Backlund and Elias Lindholm are both a year away from unrestricted free agency. Both were non-committal about signing contract extensions during their end-of-season interviews.

The Flames could try to keep the 28-year-old Lindholm happy by bringing in DeBrincat to play on his wing. They have only $1.3 million in cap space for 2023-24, so they'd need a few cost-cutting trades to create room for him. Perhaps they could move the 34-year-old Backlund to acquire additional assets to send out for DeBrincat.

That could prove crucial for the Flames if they're reluctant to move promising youngsters such as Matt Coronato, Jakob Pelletier or Dustin Wolf. Still, one of them might have to go to the Senators to complete the deal.

The Carolina Hurricanes are the only team featured here that made the playoffs this season. Their solid goaltending and stifling defensive play were significant factors in their second overall finish in the league standings.

However, offense is a bit of a concern for Carolina. The Hurricanes possess talented forwards such as Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Martin Necas, but they were 15th overall in goals per game (3.20) in the regular season, while their power-play percentage (19.8) was tied for 19th.

A proven 40-goal scorer such as DeBrincat could provide a big boost to the Hurricanes' scoring punch. He would help them keep fend off Metropolitan Division rivals like the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers. With $24.5 million in projected cap space next season and 17 roster players under contract, the Hurricanes have room to bring in a scorer.

The Hurricanes' acquisition of Max Pacioretty last summer was an acknowledgment of their need for more scoring. With Pacioretty waylaid by injuries this season and set for unrestricted free agency this summer, Carolina could be in the market for another scoring left wing.

Given their position in this year's standings, the Hurricanes' first-round pick will be near the bottom of that round. Perhaps they would be willing to part with it for DeBrincat. The Senators could also ask for a promising young player like center Jack Drury or right-handed defenseman Scott Morrow in return.

A lack of production hampered the Detroit Red Wings' efforts to reach the playoffs this season. Their 2.89 goals-per-game average ranked 24th overall.

In mid-April, Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman and head coach Derek Lalonde expressed the need to upgrade their club's scoring, per Detroit Hockey Now's Bob Duff. DeBrincat would fill their pressing need for more offense, but the Wings might prefer a more physical scoring forward who isn't so close to unrestricted free agency.

Duff believes the Wings "almost certainly" would explore acquiring DeBrincat if he hits the trade market. The opportunity to acquire a two-time 41-goal scorer could be too good to pass up. They can always make a separate trade or free-agent signing to add a more physical presence to their forward lines.

The Wings have $30.6 million in projected cap space for 2023-24 to acquire and re-sign DeBrincat to a long-term deal. They also possess promising prospects and draft picks to tempt the Senators.

A trade package could include the New York Islanders' 2023 first-rounder, which they acquired from the Vancouver Canucks in the Filip Hronek trade. The Wings also have three second-round picks to offer as trade bait. If the Senators prefer a prospect as part of the deal, perhaps Jonatan Berggren or Carter Mazur could interest them.

Despite adding Bo Horvat in January, the New York Islanders struggled to clinch a playoff berth. The absence of playmaking center Mathew Barzal down the stretch highlighted the difficulty they had offsetting his absence. They finished the season 22nd in goals-per-game (2.95), while their power-play percentage (15.8) was 30th.

The Islanders got a 36-goal performance from Brock Nelson, captain Anders Lee netted 28 goals for the second straight season, and 38-year-old Zach Parise scored 21 goals. However, they probably won't reach those numbers again next year. Horvat tallied 38 goals this season, 31 of which were with his former team, the Vancouver Canucks.

DeBrincat could be just what the Islanders need to boost their scoring. He'd be a terrific fit alongside Barzal, giving them a potent one-two offensive punch that could prove difficult to contain.

With $6.9 million in projected cap space for 2023-24, 18 players under contract and restricted free agent Oliver Wahlstrom to re-sign, the Islanders would need to be creative to find enough cap room for DeBrincat. They'd also have to come up with a suitable package to tempt the Senators.

They could offer up the 22-year-old Wahlstrom to the Senators as part of the package for DeBrincat. They don't have a first-round pick in this year's draft, but perhaps they would include next year's first-rounder if DeBrincat is willing to commit long-term. Failing that, it could take a top prospect such as William Dufour to close the deal.

After missing the playoffs for the first time since 2006, the Pittsburgh Penguins fired team president Brian Burke and general manager Ron Hextall in mid-April. Their successors could be tasked with improving the supporting cast around aging stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang,

The Penguins' biggest need is improving their goaltending if they don't re-sign pending free agent Tristan Jarry. However, their new management could also get creative and try to bolster their scoring punch, especially if left winger Jason Zucker departs via free agency this summer.

Sitting 16th in goals-per-game average (3.18), the Penguins need more offense to bounce back into playoff contention next season. A skillful young winger such as DeBrincat could be a good fit alongside Crosby or Malkin.

With nearly $21 million in projected cap space and 14 players signed for 2023-24, the Penguins have the room to acquire DeBrincat and pursue a goalie upgrade. Their next general manager would still have to shed some salary to comfortably afford him, though. Pittsburgh could shop a veteran such as Mikael Granlund, Jeff Petry or Bryan Rust this summer.

The Senators might want the Penguins' first-round pick in any deal, which would make it difficult for Pittsburgh to replenish its depleted prospect pipeline. However, it might be worthwhile if the Penguins want to return to the playoffs as quickly as possible while their older stars remain productive.

Regular-season stats via NHL.com, salary info via CapFriendly and prospect information via The Athletic.