BREAKING: Alex DeBrincat Back to The Blackhawks? Recent Reports Make it Seem Like There is a chance

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Sam Walker
January 6, 2023 (1:35 PM)

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The Chicago Blackhawks and general manager Kyle Davidson kicked off their multi-year rebuild start with some surprising news this offseason, with the first trade being Alex DeBrincat sent packing to a new country, in Canada with the Ottawa Senators.

The Senators are currently struggling hard, not as hard as the Blackhawks but definitely not where the team planned to be, they are currently eight points out of a playoff spot with a 18-17-3 record.

A serious issue for the Senators this season has been their cap space situation, the situation was so bad they were unable to sign young defensemen Alex Formenton, and he is now playing in Europe without a contract. A rising issue is Alex DeBrincat's future with the Senators organization, which is slowly starting to seem like it won't be a thing.

DeBrincat currently holds a $6.4 million dollar annual salary that was signed when he was with the Blackhawks years ago, but he's in need of a new contract after this season.

DeBrincat's camp has been reported to be seeking upwards of $9 million per season, with the Senators only having a projected cap space of $3 million. The Senators may have to trade away one of their top guns if they'd like to re-sign DeBrincat, but it doesn't seem like they'd be willing to.

With the way DeBrincat has been playing throughout the past few seasons, and the way the market for forwards has drastically went up, it seems like the Senators won't have any more cap space to re-sign DeBrincat, and he'll fetch more money by testing the free agent market.

Which team will have plenty of cap space to work with? The Chicago Blackhawks, although the team is entering a multi-year rebuild stage, it's crazy to think that if Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews stay, they could drastically speed up this rebuilding process. With the Blackhawks almost likely to get the first overall pick, being rookie sensation Connor Bedard, the roster could be built drastically well next season.

Imagine if:

-Kane and Toews re-sign
-The Blackhawks draft Bedard
-DeBrincat considers returning?

The Blackhawks would resemble the Edmonton Oilers and their roster situation, evolving around Connor McDavid, but for the Blackhawks, it would be Connor Bedard.