The Ottawa Senators acquired forward Alex DeBrincat from the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
Updated yesterday at 9:01 p.m.
The 24-year-old small forward had 78 points, including 41 goals, in 82 games last season.
In return, the Blackhawks got the seventh and 39e pick this year, as well as a third-round pick in 2024.
“The acquisition of Alex immediately adds a lot of talent to our attacking group. He is a dynamic attacker who has a real talent for scoring. He also has good vision, exceptional skills and a shot with which he can score from anywhere on the ice. He is a consistent player and an underrated playmaker who will please Senators fans,” said Senators general manager Pierre Dorion.
DeBrincat is also added to a young offensive full of talent in Ottawa. From the start of next season, the Sens could count on Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris, Drake Batherson, Alex Formenton, Tim Stützle and now DeBrincat on their first two lines.
“Yes, it’s surprising that he’s available, but it’s like us when we traded some players… That’s where some teams are, and we’re at the stage where we want to add some players. players, especially players of the quality and caliber of Alex,” added Dorion.
He even explained that the exchange was made without hesitation on their side: “Everyone was unanimous at home that it was the thing to do, he indicated. The best quote from one of our scouts was that they wish they could get their bonus soon that comes with playing the playoffs… Kyle (Davidson, Blackhawks GM) would have liked to have had some of our top prospects, but that’s It was important for us to keep them, so we fished them out and started developing them. »
DeBrincat was a second-round pick in 2016.
“It was an extremely difficult decision to make, especially considering the quality of a player like Alex. We felt that this exchange was going to be able to help us in the future by giving us more flexibility and potential talent. For securing an early first-round pick and an additional second-round pick for tomorrow [vendredi]allows us to solidify our bank of hopefuls and we hope that it will make a difference in the next year”, specified Davidson.
According to TSN reporter Darren Dreger, there was no discussion between the Senators and the DeBrincat clan to extend the winger’s contract. The forward will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2023.
However, according to Marc Brassard, of the newspaper The right, Dorion reportedly claimed that DeBrincat was his team’s No. 1 target heading into the offseason. He also added that the newcomer should play on the same line as Stutzle and that he would like to sign him for a contract extension.