DeBrincat's former teammate did not hold back when talking about him...

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Ryan Hall
September 9, 2023 (0:00)

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The Ottawa Senators have had quite the summer with media attention as the team embarked on finding a new owner. Many groups lined up to make a purchase attempt, including Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds and rapper Snoop Dogg.

In the end, Michael Andlauer, who also held a small minority stake in the Montreal Canadiens, was the successful bidder in landing the team. Another piece of news that made headlines was former Blackhawks forward Alex DeBrincat. As the season closed, he sat with general manager Pierre Dorion and explained that he had no desire to remain with the Senators for the long term.

It changed the course of the team as Dorion made a trade for him the year prior with the Chicago Blackhawks to bolster his lineup and have more offence. After several months of negotiations and looking for a trading partner, he managed to make a trade with the Detroit Red Wings, which sent DeBrincat to the Motor City for Dominik Kubalik, prospect Donovan Sebrango, along with a conditional first-round choice in 2024 and a fourth-round pick in 2024.

Most Senators players have not weighed in on the DeBrincat trade; however, Stutzle was chatting with Jeff Marek and Elliot Friedman of the "32 Thoughts" Podcast where he laid out what he thought of the move and DeBrincat himself.

"I mean, I don't think you can, I mean, expect DeBrincat to stay. It's his choice. You can say whatever you want. If he doesn't want to be there, then I don't want to make him have to be there. You know, like, it's fine with us. I think the whole group, we've been saying it. We want him to stay. We want him to be a part of this group. And he's a great guy, a great player," Stutzle said. Stutzle added, "But in the end, if you don't want to be there, then good luck on your way."

It's safe to say that there are no hard feelings as this is a business with the NHL and its players.

As the trend of players leaving to go to other teams seems to be on the rise with Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau leading the way two offseasons ago, I expect that as the salary cap rises, other players will do the same and try to pick and choose their team as soon as possible.