With a front office change and Dylan Larkin's trade request, it was a difficult summer for the Detroit Red Wings. But Alex DeBrincat is focusing on the positives for the franchise, and he fully believes the team will make amends for their recent woes.
After a turbulent summer for the Detroit Red Wings, it can't have been easy to stay positive if you're a player who loves to be there.
Just ask Red Wings sniper and Michigan native Alex DeBrincat, as The Hockey News' Michael Traikos did at the recent NHL Player Media Tour.
DeBrincat is entering the final season of a contract paying him $7.8 million per season, but he told Traikos that despite all that has transpired, he’s still a believer in this Detroit team.
"It's like anything, you don’t really like change, and it feels uncomfortable for a bit, but at this time, I think we’re all just excited to get back," DeBrincat said.
"Kaner's gone, but we got a couple additions that are really going to help us out. So going into the year, we're looking essentially the same as we were last year, and I don’t know if much momentum carries over anyways, honestly. So I think it’s a fresh start."
Looking back at the 2025-26 season, DeBrincat saw what we all saw: a Red Wings team that, for much of the season, looked like it would finally end its nine-year Stanley Cup playoff drought – only to completely collapse when the games mattered most.
But it's clear DeBrincat believes time heals all wounds. He acknowledges the disastrous year, and he wants to make amends for it.
"We can get our minds set and get confident again and learn from our mistakes last year," DeBrincat said. "I think that's really the biggest thing. We made too many mistakes late in the season, and it ended up costing us.
"But the first 60, 75 percent of the season was really good. We were right at the top there, and we just, you know, fell off a cliff. So try to get back that confidence side of the game and hopefully not go through that same lull."
DeBrincat also spoke about teammate Dylan Larkin's trade request, noting that the former captain's decision to ask for a change of scenery has not impacted their relationship.
"Yeah, I mean, it sucks," DeBrincat said of Larkin’s trade demand. "I think it doesn't really change what we think of him. He's still a great player. He's been a great friend and a great teammate to me, and we obviously love him here. That's kind of for him to answer what's next for him. But for us, I think it’s all the same. We're happy to see him at the rink and happy to get started."
DeBrincat can speak from experience when it comes to wanting out of an organization for personal reasons. He spent just one season with the Ottawa Senators in 2022-23 before making it known he wouldn't sign a long-term contract extension with the franchise. The Sens traded him to Detroit, where he wanted to be.
"There's so many different things that go into it," DeBrincat said. "Everyone's got their own things going on, and you have to do what's best for you at that time. And for family reasons, for hockey reasons, there's so many things that go into it. So it’s just a feeling that maybe it's not the best fit.
"I'm speaking for myself here. (Ottawa) was just not the best fit for me. And I think going into that, we gave it our best chance and our best try. We were very open to the situation and ended up just not working out."
Making a decision like that doesn't come without its hardships, and Larkin has received his share of backlash. But DeBrincat believes that those short-term pains pale in comparison to the long-term struggles of staying in a situation that doesn't make you happy.
"The backlash is a part of it, but you can block it out," DeBrincat said. "I think you want to do anything for your family to make yourself happier. You're not just going to sit somewhere you’re not happy with for X amount of years just because you don’t want to get hated on by that fanbase. You know, there's another fanbase that will love you."
Ultimately, DeBrincat is no different than any NHLer in that he very much wants to be part of a winning team. But there’s no two 'buts' about it. In the ultra-competitive Atlantic Division, making the playoffs will be an uphill battle for the Red Wings.
Still, DeBrincat feels like his team isn't that far off from doing big things in 2026-27. He could be right, and if he is, Detroit fans can finally start forgetting about what has essentially been a lost generation for what once was the league's gold-standard organization.
And though DeBrincat is in a contract year, he sure sounds like someone who isn't leaving Motown anytime soon.
"Winning is very important to me," DeBrincat said. "I've said it all along. I love it here. Overall, I love the guys. I love the team. That's something that we all take tremendous pride in is putting that jersey on every night, and the history that goes into it."
"I think we're closer than people give us credit for. And hopefully this year shows that."
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