The Detroit Red Wings have received some good news regarding one of their best players. Star forward Alex DeBrincat is set to enter his final season under contract. The winger previously signed a four-year, $31.5 million ($7.87 million AAV) deal in 2023. At the time of the agreement, the Michigan native called the move “a dream come true.”
Detroit, however, now has to get DeBrincat to sign an extension or else face the possibility of putting him on the trade block. Despite this, the star forward has now proclaimed that he wants to remain with the team beyond the 2026-27 campaign.
“When a new GM (is announced), I’m sure there’s going to be some conversations, but you know, as of right now, my opinion hasn’t changed,” DeBrincat said on September 8, as reported by NHL.com. “I love playing for the Red Wings. I love wearing that jersey and battling with those guys out there. My intention is obviously to stay in Detroit. We’ll see what happens, I guess.”
DeBrincat also addressed the precarious situation with his Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin. The star center previously requested a trade away from the team, but he remains on Detroit’s roster. “From my perspective, he’s a great teammate, he’s a great friend of mine, and that’s a decision he made,” continued DeBrincat.
“That’s about as far as I’m going to go there. He’s always been a great teammate to me and a great friend. I feel like at this moment our team is definitely better with him, and he’s still our leader. He’s still one of our best players. That’s the way it is.”
Detroit Red Wings Cannot Afford to Lose Alex DeBrincat’s Offense
As DeBrincat alluded to, the Detroit Red Wings still do not have an official general manager. This is even though Steve Yzerman was previously forced out of the role nearly two months ago. For now, Shawn Horcoff is temporarily taking over the reins until Red Wings officials find a permanent GM. NHL insider David Pagnotta recently claimed that Detroit was expecting to have a new exec in place earlier this week. Nevertheless, this has not yet happened.
While DeBrincat may not be a superstar, he is extremely important to the Red Wings. In fact, the forward led Detroit with 41 goals and 85 points during the 2025-26 season. Despite the winger’s impressive offensive contributions, the club struggled to score goals last year. As a team, the Detroit Red Wings finished 22nd in the league in scoring on the season. They clearly cannot afford to lose DeBrincat.
Detroit has Money to Reward Star Forward
Because the star winger is producing on the ice, he is likely looking for a significant pay raise in his next contract. Fortunately for the Detroit Red Wings, they do have substantial funds to work with. According to PuckPedia.com, the club has over $19 million in projected cap space. No other NHL team has more available money right now.
With DeBrincat willing to work out a new deal, the Red Wings will next be hoping for a resolution in the Larkin situation. The best-case scenario for the club would be to extend DeBrincat and either get the captain to make a U-turn or flip him for a comparable player. Detroit does not want to trade Larkin for prospects/draft picks.
Red Wings Receive Positive Update on $31 Million Star Forward