Detroit Red Wings

The 2023 Stanley Cup Final came to an end on Tuesday, as the Vegas Golden Knights finished off the Florida Panthers in five games. The offseason is now underway, and the Detroit Red Wings are a long way from getting to where Vegas currently resides.

Detroit's playoff drought now spans seven years, and it's going to take work to build a roster that can compete for and in the postseason. The good news is that the team has plenty of offseason capital with which to work, including a pair of first-round picks and $30.7 million in projected cap space.

The Red Wings have the tools to make significant moves this offseason, and one particularly intriguing target may be emerging in Ottowa Senators wing Alex DeBrincat.

Ottowa appears to be on the verge of an ownership change, with Toronto billionaire Michael Andlauer potentially taking over 90 percent of the franchise. With that ongoing and DeBrincat set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2024, the Senators could be open to moving the 25-year-old.

On June 5, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that the Senators have begun "exploring" his trade market.

"One source referred to it as 'Ottawa's due diligence,' as, according to multiple sources, DeBrincat recently indicated he wished to wait until the completion of the Senators' ownership saga before thinking of committing to a long-term extension," he wrote.

More recently, Friedman elaborated on NHL Now, stating that DeBrincat has a list of preferred destinations:

"He has submitted a list of teams, through his agent, of places he wants to go to. ...I think one of them is Detroit, he's from the area, I don't think that's going to surprise anyone, I think it's possible the two teams in the final could be on his list too."

While the Red Wings might not be ready to compete with Golden Knights and Panthers on the ice just yet, they should take advantage of their reported ability to compete with the league's top two teams in the DeBrincat sweepstakes.

There are a few reasons for this, starting with the fact that DeBrincat was born in Farmington Hills, Michigan and appears willing to join Detroit—and what fanbase doesn't enjoy a good "local kid" story?

More importantly, he is a talented young offensive player. He's had two 41-goal campaigns and finished the 2022-23 season with 27 goals and 66 points. That's a very relevant factor for the Red Wings, who scored the ninth-fewest goals in the league last season.

DeBrincat has all the tools to become a long-term building block for the team. If he's willing to come to Detroit, he may well be willing to sign an extension there—and the Red Wings have the cap space to make that happen.

The trickiest part of the pursuit may be convincing Ottowa to oblige. Like the Red Wings, the Senators are looking to climb back into contention and may not be eager to help out an Atlantic Division rival.

The other piece of this is that Ottowa doesn't have to trade DeBrincat this offseason. The Senators can take him to arbitration and try to leverage a bigger return at the trade deadline.

Detroit might have to pay a premium to pry DeBrincat away from Ottowa, which gave up the seventh and 39th overall picks in last year's draft, plus a 2023 third-rounder, to land him last offseason.

However, the Red Wings must make their pitch. If the Senators are convinced they're not keeping DeBrincat beyond next season, they should be willing to listen to any and all reasonable offers now, including those from within the division.

Detroit has a prime opportunity to add a young player at a position of need, and it should make its move for DeBrincat if Ottawa is at all willing to deal.

Detroit Red Wings star center Dylan Larkin is already the face of the franchise, and he isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

The team announced Wednesday that Larkin has reached an agreement on an eight-year contract extension worth $69.6 million.

Larkin has been the lone bright spot for the Red Wings this season, as the team ranks sixth in the Atlantic Division with a record of 28-24-8. In 59 appearances, he leads the team with 22 goals, 35 assists, 57 points, 11 power-play goals, 21 power play-points, four game-winning goals and 185 shots and earned his third career All-Star selection.

The 26-year-old was in the final season of a five-year, $30.5 million deal signed in 2018 after the completion of his entry-level contract. Earning this extension fulfills his desire to remain in Detroit, as ESPN's Emily Kaplan noted he "wanted to play only for the Red Wings."

Larkin is a Michigan native who starred with the Michigan Wolverines before being drafted 15th in 2014 by Detroit, so he has spent his entire career in the state of Michigan. He was named the 37th captain in franchise history in Jan. 2021.

Unfortunately for Detroit, Larkin's individual success has not translated to team success. The last time the Red Wings made the playoffs was Larkin's debut season in 2015-16, the final campaign of a 25-year postseason streak.

Detroit remains in the mix for a potential wild-card spot with six weeks left in the regular season, so perhaps Larkin can help turn things around. The Red Wings will look to end their three-game losing streak when they take the ice Thursday against the Seattle Kraken (33-21-6).