Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat carries a $7.875 million cap hit in the final season of his four-year deal, and he becomes an unrestricted free agent when the 2026-27 season ends. The Alex DeBrincat contract is the biggest long-term call on Detroitβs desk this season.
Will the Red Wings trade him for a haul before the deadline, let him walk, or sign him to a big-time contract? The front office has to pick one.
Max Bultman Projects a $14 Million Alex DeBrincat Contract
Max Bultman of The Athletic made 10 bold predictions as the Red Wings open the 2026-27 season, among them a top-five pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. Another is that DeBrincatβs next contract lands at $14 million AAV. Bultman wrote,
βKirill Marchenko got $12.5 million per year with a career high of 31 goals. Cutter Gauthier got $13.5 million annually after his first 40-goal season. So yes, I think DeBrincatβs in line for a massive payday this summer, regardless of whether he records his fourth career 40-goal season.
The big question will be: Is it in Detroit? The Red Wings canβt afford to let another key scorer get away, let alone their most consistent forward last season.
However, by not extending DeBrincat this summer, they now enter the season with that possibility hanging over their heads. That gives DeBrincat massive leverage in negotiations.
Still, I have long felt DeBrincat would stay in Detroit, and Iβd still lean that way. Itβs home for him, but itβs hard to imagine the Red Wingsβ mess this summer (which is now stretching into the season) is helping. And if this seasonβs on-ice results follow that trend, this situation could get itchy fast.β
Both comparables check out. Marchenko signed a six-year, $75 million extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sept. 29, a $12.5 million cap hit on the back of a 31-goal career high. Gauthier signed for six years and $81 million in Anaheim on Sept. 15 after a 41-goal season. DeBrincat put up 41 goals and 84 points for Detroit last season, his third 40-goal year.
Edvinsson and Larkin Come First
The DeBrincat situation is not even the most urgent item in the building. Simon Edvinsson went into the season opener unsigned, a restricted free agent training in Sweden with a Dec. 1 deadline to sign if he wants to play this season. And Dylan Larkin asked for a trade over the summer and is no longer the captain, so a move there is live too.
The Red Wings Have the Cap Space to Pay Him
Detroit went into the season with $19.57 million in cap space, the most of any team in the NHL, according to PuckPedia. If Detroit trades Larkin and moves on from Edvinsson, that number climbs.
In that scenario, there would be no excuse not to sign DeBrincat at $14 million or more per season. If the Red Wings decide against it, they can let him walk or trade him at the deadline. On talent alone, he has earned the big-time pay day.
