Alex DeBrincat Following in Matthew Tkachuk's Footsteps With Trade Request
Alex DeBrincat recently requested a trade from the Ottawa Senators, and it appears he is following in Matthew Tkachuk's footsteps with his method of choice.
List of Four Teams
Per The Athletic, Alex DeBrincat has given the Ottawa Senators a choice of four teams to which he'd like to be traded.
This type of power move is tough for the team, as any team not on his list wouldn't pay up big for him as he won't sign long-term.
My understanding is that Alex DeBrincat's camp, led by agent Jeff Jackson, has given Senators GM Pierre Dorion a shortlist of preferred destinations in case Ottawa decides to go the trade route with the pending RFA winger.
Dorion doesn't have to trade DeBrincat to one of those teams � he can trade him anywhere he wants � but if the idea is to maximize return on a trade by having DeBrincat signed to a contract extension as part of it, obviously it makes sense to play ball.
Think about how Matthew Tkachuk and his reps provided a list of five teams (Florida, Vegas, Carolina, Tampa Bay and Colorado) to Calgary last summer in helping shape those trade discussions before he was dealt to the Panthers.
I don't know for sure which teams are on DeBrincat's list, but I would bet it includes the likes of Nashville, Vegas and Dallas.(Everyone wants to play in Vegas!) And I wonder about a team like Detroit. It wouldn't surprise me if the Red Wings would be of interest to DeBrincat.
There is no question the prolonged process in the sale of the Senators has impacted the DeBrincat situation.
There's no point even pretending to deny that.
If you're DeBrincat, how can you entertain the notion of signing long-term with the Senators without knowing who owns the team? What the vision of the team after new ownership takes over will be? Who the GM will be � whether Dorion gets replaced immediately or gets another year to prove himself to ownership and then maybe gets extended or replaced next summer?
Those are all uncertainties that I believe have been weighing on the DeBrincat camp.
So yes, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported Monday, the Senators have no choice but to be assessing the trade market for the pending RFA. Bringing him back on a one-year deal is a possibility (salary arbitration is an option), and DeBrincat would have no problem playing another year in Ottawa. But it feels like the most prudent thing to do here, if you're the Senators, is to trade him this summer.
Dorion doesn't have to trade DeBrincat to one of those teams � he can trade him anywhere he wants � but if the idea is to maximize return on a trade by having DeBrincat signed to a contract extension as part of it, obviously it makes sense to play ball.
Think about how Matthew Tkachuk and his reps provided a list of five teams (Florida, Vegas, Carolina, Tampa Bay and Colorado) to Calgary last summer in helping shape those trade discussions before he was dealt to the Panthers.
I don't know for sure which teams are on DeBrincat's list, but I would bet it includes the likes of Nashville, Vegas and Dallas.(Everyone wants to play in Vegas!) And I wonder about a team like Detroit. It wouldn't surprise me if the Red Wings would be of interest to DeBrincat.
There is no question the prolonged process in the sale of the Senators has impacted the DeBrincat situation.
There's no point even pretending to deny that.
If you're DeBrincat, how can you entertain the notion of signing long-term with the Senators without knowing who owns the team? What the vision of the team after new ownership takes over will be? Who the GM will be � whether Dorion gets replaced immediately or gets another year to prove himself to ownership and then maybe gets extended or replaced next summer?
Those are all uncertainties that I believe have been weighing on the DeBrincat camp.
So yes, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported Monday, the Senators have no choice but to be assessing the trade market for the pending RFA. Bringing him back on a one-year deal is a possibility (salary arbitration is an option), and DeBrincat would have no problem playing another year in Ottawa. But it feels like the most prudent thing to do here, if you're the Senators, is to trade him this summer.
So the Senators essentially have four options with which to trade DeBrincat. The only question is if they'll be able to recoup the assets they traded for him in the first place.
Source: The Athletic
| POLL | ||
Do you think Alex DeBrincat will be traded in the off-season? | ||
| Yes | 46 | 78 % |
| No | 13 | 22 % |
| List of polls | ||
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