The Latest on Preparing For Alex Debrincat's Potential Departure
One of the hottest names this NHL offseason has been Alex DeBrincat. The elite, top line winger is arguably the best player on everyone's trade boards this offseason. DeBrincat is a dangerous scorer and can score 40 goals in a season with little to no troubles. He's done that twice in his 5 years of playing with the Blackhawks. Its also worth noting during the shortened Covid season, «The Cat» posted 32 goals in only 52 games, and he has done this with the rapidly declining Blackhawks that have now entered a full rebuild under new general manager Kyle Davidson.
Davidson has received multiple phone calls from multiple teams, but so far he's declined every offer. Keyword here being, *so far.* The Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers have all made trade offers for DeBrincat, but none of them were enough for Davidson. It's unsure who has offered exactly what, but it's known that two teams offered two first round picks as well as a prospect. One of those two first round picks was a top 10 pick, but that wasn't enough.
The Flyers look to be the most aggressive organization trying to execute a trade for DeBrincat. Per NHL insider, Elliot Friedman, the Flyers have done «more than just tire-kicking» on DeBrincat. The Flyers have already made a heavy offer but the Blackhawks declined. Philadelphia has the #5 overall pick in this years draft and that could be a major negotiating point. However the Blackhawks have already turned down a top 10 pick, plus an additional first, plus a prospect. It's unsure how much the Hawks want but it's more than that. It's safe to assume that the Flyers are considered front runners for the Cat as the Kings traded for Kevin Fiala after their offer was rejected by the Hawks. The Devils have also been quiet since their initial offer. If the Flyers truly are aggressive about acquiring DeBrincat, then perhaps they're willing to give up more than they should. After all, that is Davidson's goal in trading Debrincat - make the other team take a major loss.
The NHL draft is only a couple days away. Davidson has made it known that he would like to have a first round pick this year. Trading DeBrincat gives him the best chance of acquiring a first round pick this year. However, there's only a few days left for him to acquire a first round pick. If DeBrincat does end up getting traded, it should be expected to take place within the next couple days. Prepare yourselves Blackhawks fans as DeBrincat could potentially have less than a week remaining in Chicago.
| POLL | ||
Do you think Debrincat will be traded before the 2022 NHL draft? | ||
| Yes | 104 | 45.8 % |
| No | 123 | 54.2 % |
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