Senators winger Alex DeBrincat had 19 points in 14 games in December. He's an RFA after this season, so what could his short and long-term futures look like?

Acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks last summer by the Ottawa Senators, Alex DeBrincat has quickly settled in as one of their key players. With 36 points in 37 games, the 25-year-old winger is among their leading scorers. How much longer he'll remain a Senator, however, has become a topic of speculation.

The Ottawa Sun's Ken Warren last week pondered DeBrincat's future in Ottawa. A restricted free agent with arbitration rights, his average annual value is $6.4 million, but he's earning $9 million in actual salary, which is how much it'll cost the Senators to qualify his rights this summer. He's also a year away from UFA eligibility.

Warren anticipates DeBrincat's next contract could be worth between $8 million and $9 million annually on a long-term deal. He wondered if the Senators' current management group would approve such a contract with the club expected to have a new owner later this year.

The Senators already have three young forwards in Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle and Josh Norris on long-term deals worth at or over $8 million annually. Warren mused over whether it would be better to invest in shoring up their blueline than signing another expensive forward.

Ottawa has about 55 percent of the salary cap invested in forwards this season, with around 25 percent for defensemen and 7.8 percent for goalies, according to Cap Friendly. That percentage for forwards will increase if DeBrincat gets a raise from a $6.4-million cap hit.

For comparison, the first-place Boston Bruins also have around 55 percent for forwards but have 35.1 percent of the cap going to defense and 7.2 percent for netminders since they have less cap space. 

Warren also wondered whether the Senators would attempt to move DeBrincat if they're out of playoff contention by the March 3 trade deadline.

So far, there are no rumors suggesting DeBrincat could be available. The only recent conjecture regarding the Senators was ESPN's Kevin Weekes tweeting that they're still trying to move defenseman Nikita Zaitsev. 

DeBrincat's RFA status means the Senators could wait until the off-season to decide his fate. Nevertheless, the longer it takes to resolve his contract situation, the more likely he'll pop up in the rumor mill.