The Boston Bruins are among many teams kicking the tires on Dylan Larkin and Simon Edvinsson from the Detroit Red Wings. While a deal has yet to materialize, it is due to a combination of factors, including the Red Wings' asking price, Larkin's no-trade clause, and Detroit's reluctance to trade the young defender before he even hits his prime.
As the drama unfolds, it further hurts the Red Wings' ability to retain players, including an upcoming UFA, Alex DeBrincat. With all the talk around the team right now, it's easy for the organization to lose sight of some other big things on the horizon, and it seems almost impossible that they would get a DeBrincat extension in place before July 1.
Detroit is quickly spiraling down the standings, and it isn't difficult to lose the season early in a division like the Atlantic. If they continue to struggle, they could be facing a fire sale as we approach the trade deadline, and DeBrincat would have to be one of the players they explore trading.
The right-shot winger is as reliable as they come, playing every game over the past five seasons. He is a two-time 40-goal scorer, while also scoring 39 goals once, giving him 80 over the past two seasons combined. He is quietly one of the league's most lethal scorers and could be just entering his prime at 28.
Alex DeBrincat's fit with the Bruins
The Bruins have been targeting players more in the 20-25 age range, as we've seen with their recent youth movement and the acquisition of JJ Peterka. However, acquiring and signing DeBrincat makes a ton of sense for a team that still needs to add a bit of scoring punch to their lineup. While center-ice has been a concern, we are starting to see how that might not be as much of a problem as once thought.
Even if Pavel Zacha leaves town, the Bruins are developing a legitimate top-six center in Fraser Minten. They are also seeing some great growth from James Hagens in his rookie season, and despite playing on the wing since signing with Boston, there's no reason why he couldn't transition back to his natural center position at some point.
Marat Khusnutdinov currently resides in the top six, but he is much better suited for a bottom-six role with his skill set. If the Bruins could acquire DeBrincat, their top six would then become David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha, and Morgan Geekie on the first line, with DeBrincat, Minten, and Peterka on the second line for the rest of this season.
If Hagens does develop further, he could replace Zacha as a top-six center to start the 2027-28 season. Signing DeBrincat for his scoring abilities instead of Zacha might be the better long-term move, as Boston's young center depth is much better than people give them credit for.
DeBrincat should demand a bit less of an ask than Larkin or Edvinsson, especially if his intent to sign elsewhere in free agency is known heading into the deadline. While the talk is that Edvinsson or Larkin may cost the Bruins someone like Hagens or Dean Letourneau, the Red Wings could settle for Will Zellers as the prospect coming back in a DeBrincat deal.
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