The Pittsburgh Penguins should sacrifice future assets for a proven DeBrincat
For teams across the NHL, including the Pittsburgh Penguins, the summer of 2022 is going to bring with it a lot of tough decisions and many changes.
The Penguins, specifically, are going to have possibly the toughest offseason in franchise history.
The team is coming off of their fourth straight season with an opening playoff series loss and both Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are due for new contracts.
Beyond the two franchise greats, there are a multitude of minute questions that need to be answered.
Questions like which prospects should reach the NHL next? What can be done about the defense? Are there any potential trade targets out there?
Let’s focus on that last question; who around the league is rumored to be on the trade block?
According to Scott Powers of the Athletic, the Chicago Blackhawks may be looking to move on from forward Alex DeBrincat.
Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli thinks it's a matter of "when" not "if" DeBrincat is shipped out of CHiacgo.
Ever since entering the league in 2017, DeBrincat has been one of the most consistent producers on a declining Blackhawks franchise.
In just five NHL seasons, DeBrincat has played in 368 games scoring 307 points (160-147) and has regularly been one of the Blackhawks top scorers.
When a player like that is being lofted by a team, it doesn’t hurt to make a call and and see the asking price.
The Hawks are entering a rebuilding phase and likely willing to take a smaller return in terms of NHL ready players.
Draft picks and prospects are likely the name of the game for Chicago.
If DeBrincat is truly available, the Penguins shouldn’t be afraid to dip into their slim prospect pool.
DeBrincat is only 24-years-old and has a long future ahead of him as one of the upper echelon players in the NHL.
Because of that, the Penguins should be willing to move on from a prospect like Sam Poulin or Filip Hallander.
Sure, DeBrincat has been playing with Patrick Kane, but imagine the numbers DeBrincat would put up with a better team around him.
A sticking point for a DeBrincat trade is that he is due for a new contract at the end of the upcoming season, and it will be large.
You don’t give a player like that chump change, but the Penguins can find ways to afford it.
Pittsburgh already needs to dump some contracts, like Brian Dumoulin or Marcus Pettersson, and that would create space.
But the NHL itself may help with the Penguins’ cap constraints.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a recent press conference that the league saw record revenue in 2021-22 and expects regular cap increases in about two years.
According to agent Allan Walsh, he believes the cap will increase by about $10 million in a handful of seasons.
A large DeBrincat contract may choke the Penguins for a few seasons, but an extra $10 million in breathing room will be a huge help.
It’s not a perfectly clear road to bring DeBrincat to Pittsburgh, but a call can never hurt.
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