Alex DeBrincat inks 3 year extension with Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks decided to get things done early with pending RFA forward Alex DeBrincat, signing him to a three-year deal worth $6.4 million a year.

The Chicago Blackhawks have announced they’ve signed Alex DeBrincat to a three-year deal. According to the team, the deal is worth an average annual value of $6.4 million. DeBrincat was scheduled to become a restricted free agent after the 2019-20 season. The deal will go into effect starting in 2020-21.

DeBrincat was drafted in the second round in the 2016 NHL Draft by the Blackhawks. In his rookie year (2017-18), he recorded 28 goals and 24 assists for 52 points in the full 82 game season. Just six of his 28 goals during the 2017-18 season came via the power play, which highlighted his dominance at five-on-five hockey. It’s important to keep in mind that he averaged just 14:48 of time on ice per game while putting up these numbers.

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He had a takeaway-giveaway ratio of 33-25 (+8 differential), which is up there with the likes of Brayden Point and Mitch Marner. DeBrincat capped it all off with a 54.3% Corsi For percentage (CF%), which is extremely good, especially considering he played for a 33-39-10 team that finished last in the Central Division. He finished 10th in Calder Trophy voting and seventh in Lady Byng Trophy voting.

In his second pro year, however, DeBrincat really turned up the dials. Playing another full 82 game season, he made himself truly known to the hockey world. DeBrincat recorded an astounding 41 goals and 35 assists for 76 points. He even took a step forward on the powerplay, this time recording 13 goals there.

DeBrincat saw a rise in average ice time, recording 17:42 of ice time per game. He also took a more aggressive approach when moving the puck, as both his takeaways and giveaways skyrocketed. His takeaway-giveaway ratio was still a positive 51-50 (+1 differential), but still a small step back in that area. DeBrincat topped it off with a slightly worse CF% of 50.3%, but it’s still a solid stat-line to have on a team that struggled yet again. He finished 19th in Lady Byng Trophy voting.

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Heading into the third and final year of his rookie contract, he is looking to continue improving on his point production. DeBrincat is easily looking at yet another raise in ice time, and the Blackhawks wanted to make sure they get him signed to an extension before his price tag got way too high.

Not to mention, the RFA class of this off-season was headlined with unorthodox hold-outs from all-star caliber players. The Blackhawks don’t want their star winger in DeBrincat to hold-out on them and force a trade or leave for Europe.

The value of his contract is really nice if he can continue to find success. DeBrincat is one heck of a player and can easily be chalked up for at least 30 goals this season. That, in itself, is a rare commodity in the league, and the Hawks have that in their grasp.

However, the short length is the best part of the deal, for me. It brings DeBrincat all the way to the end of Patrick Kane‘s and Jonathan Toews‘ contracts, which will free up over $20 million in cap space. Not only does that mean the Blackhawks can give him a raise, but they can also go out shopping to restructure their roster post-Toews and Kane.

The timing of the conclusion of DeBrincat’s contract is also telling. It shows that the Blackhawks now have an open window to win another Stanley Cup with Toews and Kane for the next four seasons.

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All in all, this is an excellent deal for both the team and player. The team avoids an RFA holdout, as well as eliminating the wait of an extension in which the player’s price tag can easily rise. The player signs short-term, which will wind up earning him a major pay raise when the time comes in the 2023-24 offseason.

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