A few reports are suggesting that an Alex DeBrincat trade is being heavily discussed on Wednesday by the Chicago Blackhawks organization and many insiders are getting the sense the team will pull the trigger on a deal ahead of Round 1 of the NHL Draft Wednesday night.
As per Mark Lazerus of The Athletic, “The Blackhawks are still actively trying to trade Alex DeBrincat to get into the first round tonight. At this point, the sense I get is it’d be a bigger surprise if they *didn’t* trade him than if they did.” His report seems to be corroborated by Emily Kaplan of ESPN who writes, “One of the teams I expect to be active today is the New Jersey Devils. I’ve been told they have a lot of wheels in motion, including potentially acquiring a goalie.”
Bob McKenzie of TSN picked up on Kaplan’s story and noted that he wasn’t sure if she was directly linking the Devils to DeBrincat, but he is. He writes, “I don’t know whether the talented @emilymkaplan was in any way linking NJD to a potential Alex DeBrincat trade with CHI, but if so, I would agree. If not, I would only say NJ is one of a number of teams with significant interest in DeBrincat.”
DeBrincat’s situation is an interesting one. He’s potted 73 goals in just 134 games as a Blackhawk, but his star power is useful almost everywhere other than Chicago where the team is going through a rebuild. They won’t be competitive while he’s producing at his best rate and they’d likely to move him if they can get a high return. DeBrincat is also scheduled to make $9 million on an upcoming qualifying offer, so any team that acquires him will have to be prepared to sign him to a long-term extension.
Flyers Trade Rumors For DeBrincat Not Entirely Accurate
There was some talk that the Philadelphia Flyers were discussing a deal that would see the No. 5 pick move to Chicago, but later reports of that deal being in the works appeared to be inaccurate. The two teams did talk, but nothing much came of those conversations and a trade wasn’t close.
There is talk that Steve Yzerman is heavily working the phones and trying to make things happen. Could a trade to Detroit be possible?
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