The Detroit Red Wings are well aware that Dylan Larkin won’t be the only headache for their next general manager. Whoever takes over after Steve Yzerman’s demotion ahead of the 2026-27 NHL season will have to deal with several key roster decisions. Alex DeBrincat’s future appears to be at the top of the list, but a new report suggests the Red Wings can be confident that the “Cat” won’t follow Larkin’s lead and request a trade.
“Will DeBrincat leave the Red Wings? That seems unlikely,” Bob Duff reported on Detroit Hockey Now. “As long as Detroit brass is willing to pony up the cash for DeBrincat and pay him market value, expect him to stay put. DeBrincat likes it here.“
Coming off a career high in points while matching his career-best total of 41 goals, and entering the final year of his contract, there is really no reason why the Red Wings shouldn’t extend DeBrincat an offer he can’t refuse and keep their best forward locked up for the long haul. Larkin asking out is already one trade request too many for them.
Re-signing DeBrincat should be priority
Too much has gone wrong for Detroit as of late—regardless of whether it’s entirely the team’s fault or not—for the Red Wings to add another item to the list. If DeBrincat truly wants to stay with the Wings, it should all come together with barely a hiccup.
Alex DeBrincat #93 of the Detroit Red Wings.
Although Larkin’s trade request has triggered a domino effect and played a role in Patrick Kane’s departure, it appears the captain’s desire to jump ship may have no bearing on DeBrincat’s vision for his NHL career. At least, it won’t lead him to such a blunt decision.
Maybe “The Cat” asks for a higher price to overlook the glaring issues within the franchise, but that could be about it. At the end of the day, he did register 85 points last season (41 G, 44 A), so DeBrincat is well within his rights to ask for a raise.
Risk of DeBrincat testing free agency
While the Red Wings may be confident DeBrincat won’t ask for a trade out of the organization, they have no way of knowing whether the 28-year-old Michigan native would be interested in testing the open market. Well, there is actually a way to find out, and all it takes is for Detroit to begin contract negotiations with DeBrincat and his camp right away.
Moreover, by doing so before the 2026-27 NHL season gets underway, the Wings could avoid a rough start affecting DeBrincat’s stance and pushing him toward free agency next summer. In more ways than one, the sooner Detroit gets to work with DeBrincat, the smoother the process could be.
However, there may not be much to be done as long as the Red Wings do not have a permanent general manager in place. And that, unlike DeBrincat’s future, is a decision that will take time and careful consideration. Both issues are on the scale: hiring Detroit’s next general manager to right the ship and re-signing their best forward. As impactful as DeBrincat is, he may have no way of competing with a decision as significant to the organization’s future as finding Yzerman’s successor.
DeBrincat’s current deal
DeBrincat is set to enter the final season of his four-year, $31.5 million contract. Under his current deal, DeBrincat carries a $7.875 million cap hit and is set to earn a total salary of $6.75 million in 2026-27, according to PuckPedia.
Since signing the deal in 2023, DeBrincat’s point production has steadily increased. Barring a disastrous season, his next contract should come with a considerable raise in average annual value (AAV). Whether he signs it in his home state of Michigan or elsewhere in the NHL, that’s the mystery.
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DeBrincat may not want to request a trade and go down Larkin’s path, but as long as he remains unsigned throughout the upcoming season, the possibility of him testing free agency will always loom.
