Senators acquire winger Alex DeBrincat from Blackhawks
There was no smoke without fire. Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said he remains open to the possibility of trading his first-round pick, the seventh overall. It was not a bluff.
• Read also: Manon Rhéaume hired by the Kings
• Read also: Matt Murray doesn’t want anything to do with the Sabers
Dorion didn’t just keep his word, he possibly homered. The Senators have acquired left wing Alex DeBrincat from the Chicago Blackhawks.
“We’re adding a very consistent scorer and a player whose age fits very well within our core,” said Dorion. Alex is a competitor. I’ve been saying this for a while now, but I wanted to get a forward who could play in one of our top two lines. He is definitely a top 6 with our team. »
In Old Montreal
« Talks with the Blackhawks accelerated on Wednesday night when I found myself at the same restaurant as Kyle Davidson, » he continued. Kyle came to introduce himself to my family and we went outside to chat. I had made him different proposals. »
Le Gibbys, a restaurant in Old Montreal, will have served as the territory for the negotiations.
The Hawks replenished their bank of picks by earning the seventh (first-round), 39th (second-round) and a third-round selection in 2024.
Last summer, Chicago sacrificed their 2022 first-round pick in order to lure Seth Jones to the Windy City.
The compass in the eye
In DeBrincat, the Sens acquired one of the NHL’s top scorers. The 24-year-old, 5-foot-7, 165-pound winger has scored 41 goals and 78 points in 82 games.
In five years in Illinois, DeBrincat already has a season of 30 goals and two others of 40 to his name.
Offensively, the Senators will have great ammunition with Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris, Tim Stützle, Drake Batherson and now DeBrincat.
On the blue line, Thomas Chabot will remain the driving force behind the team.
DeBrincat will have a salary footprint of $6.4 million on the salary cap in 2022-23.
Dorion and the Sens will have to renegotiate with their winger at the end of the next season. He could become a restricted free agent.
