Not trading Alex DeBrincat would be a mistake for the Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators are not going to be contending for the Stanley Cup this year. As of this writing, the Senators are seven points back behind the Washington Capitals for the final wild-card spot, and while they might have a few games in hand, they would have to jump four other teams besides the Capitals to get into the final spot. With that in mind, the future for Alex DeBrincat in Ottawa seems clear.

Not trading Alex DeBrincat would be a mistake for the Ottawa Senators.

The Senators traded for Debrincat this past offseason, sending a first, second and third-round pick to Chicago in exchange for DeBrincat. The decision to trade for DeBrincat was a smart move, and so would trading him now.

The notion of keeping DeBrincat hinges on a few things, the team being good in the next few years as well as DeBrincat being willing to sign for less than he can make right now. Neither seems like the likely outcome for the Senators.

Currently, DeBrincat’s qualifying offer is at $9 million dollars. He is going to be an RFA this summer, but after that, he can hit the open market. The Senators highest paid forward currently is Brady Tkachuk at a little more than $8 million. Chances are they are not going to want to pay DeBrincat more than Tkachuk long-term, which complicates the situation further.

Getting DeBrincat signed long-term with the Senators assumes he is willing to take a little less than he can make on the open market. That only happens when a player is confident in the future of the organization, and with the uncertainty around ownership in Ottawa, that confidence seems unlikely.

Pierre Dorion is the current general manager of the Ottawa Senators. He ruled out trading DeBrincat ahead of the deadline very recently. That would be a mistake in the long run.

Dorion is the current GM of the team, but with a new owner likely coming soon, that could also change. DeBrincat most likely is not going to sign long-term with a team that does not have stability and direction. If he does stay in Ottawa, it will probably be on a one or two-year deal for the nine million he is eligible for with a qualifying offer.

DeBrincat not being traded at the deadline would be a mistake for the future success of the team. However, maybe Dorion and the current management group in Ottawa are not really thinking about the long-term picture.