DeBrincat continues to deliver, but what is his long-term future with the Senators?
DeBrincat #DeBrincat
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Alex DeBrincat did his best, but he couldn’t keep a straight face amid the background noise in the dressing room following the Ottawa Senators 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday.
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As he talked about 49-save effort of goaltender Cam Talbot and his own two goals — a second period breakaway and the shootout winner — his words could barely be heard above the shrill sounds of a teammate meowing in the distance.
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Yes, meowing, a nod to DeBrincat’s “Cat” nickname and the torrid scoring pace that has seen him register five goals and 11 assists in 12 games during December. DeBrincat has also been a vital piece of the explosive Senators power play that ranked third in the NHL (28.2 per cent) before Thursday’s game in Washington against the Capitals.
“I think it was Hammer (Travis Hamonic),” said DeBrincat. “I’m assuming it was Hammer, he’s usually the guy meowing at me.”
Files: Ottawa Senator Alex DeBrincat chatted with the press at the Ottawa Senators’ start-up event at the Canadian Tire Centre in September. Photo by Julie Oliver /Postmedia
It’s comforting to hear that Senators players aren’t barking at each other despite the long odds of them making the playoffs and clearly DeBrincat has found his comfort zone in Ottawa following a slow start after last summer’s trade from the Chicago Blackhawks.
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Before meeting the Capitals, he had 11 goals and 22 assists in 34 games, on the same point pace as last season when he notched 41 goals and 37 assists playing alongside Patrick Kane and company in Chicago.
Given that — coach D.J. Smith says he has been the club’s best all-around player during the past month — there are numerous intriguing questions in the air about whether the Senators could or should re-sign him to a long-term extension.
He’s carrying a $6.4 million salary cap hit — his actual 2022-23 salary is $9 million — and is a pending restricted free agent (with arbitration rights) next summer.
On the surface, it might seem like a no-brainer, locking up another young star forward on a team that continues to boast the potential for a brighter future.
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But there are endless moving parts in any such discussion.
—As a 25-year-old who has already twice topped the 40-goal and 75-point marks, he’s probably in the running for a long-term contract worth somewhere in the $8 million-$9 million range.
—Even if there is an appetite for general manager Pierre Dorion to go down that road, would he receive the approval of the club’s existing managing board to make such a move? With the team up for sale and new ownership looming early in the New Year, there are few guarantees that either Dorion or Smith will be back for the 2023-24 season, especially if the Senators don’t make the playoffs. New voices at the top would bring fresh ideas about the foundations for team building.
—While the payroll purse strings have opened up considerably since the death of former owner Eugene Melnyk last March, is there a danger in losing roster flexibility if too many star forwards are signed to big money long-term deals? That has been an issue all around the NHL, including in Toronto.
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Consider that Tim Stutzle’s eight-year, $66.8 million contract begins next season. That’s an $8.35 million salary cap hit, alongside that of captain Brady Tkachuk ($8.2 million), Josh Norris ($7.95 million) and Drake Batherson ($4.975 million). Add in another potential $8 million per year for DeBrincat and that would mean more than $37 million — 41 per cent of the Senators current payroll — would be ticketed for only five forwards. In addition, alternate captain Claude Giroux is also on the books for $6 million in each of the next two seasons.
—What also needs to be factored in here is the state of the club’s blueline, which desperately needs the addition of at least one more proven top four defender to seriously compete with the league’s elite teams. Would the money that could be assigned to DeBrincat be better spent on another elite defencemen or two proven defensive standouts, similar to Artem Zub? At this point, Thomas Chabot ($8 million through the end of 2027-28) and Zub ($4.6 million for the next four seasons) are the only long-term commitments. Rookie Jake Sanderson will also need a new, lucrative, multi-year deal following the 2023-24 campaign.
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—If the Senators remain legitimately out of the playoff race at the trade deadline, would they contemplate trading DeBrincat? In the original deal bringing him to Ottawa, they gave up first and second round picks in 2022 and a third round selection in the 2023 entry draft. DeBrincat has done nothing to lower his stock ever since. By the same token, the Senators could hold on to him until the summer, when there could be more intriguing trade options on the table. In order to keep his rights, the Senators would need to issue a qualifying offer of $9 million for the 2023-24 season.
It’s all food for thought as the season progresses. For the time being, though, the Senators need DeBrincat to remain a key force in the difficult challenge to get back into the wild card race. Before the puck dropped against the Capitals, the Senators were 10 points and five teams out of that position and DeBrincat has been contributing all over the ice.
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“It’s his play away from the puck, too,” Smith said of DeBrincat’s value to the team. “In his own zone, he’s tracking, he’s shot blocking, he’s breaking pucks out himself. And now, the pucks are starting to go in a little for him. He was snake-bitten earlier. And also, there’s a culture shock of having been in one place (Chicago) for a long time and coming to Canada. He’s an American kid. There’s a lot of differences and I think he feels a lot more comfortable with his teammates today.”
Indeed. In at least some corners of the dressing room, he’s the cat’s meow.
kwarren@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/Citizenkwarren
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