Alex DeBrincat reveals why he wouldn't re-sign in Ottawa.
The now former Ottawa Senators forward reveals why he effectively forced a trade from the Ottawa Senators.
Alex DeBrincat has found himself a new home following a trade to the Detroit Red Wings and the subsequent extension he signed, but he took a significant discount to do it.
In the end, DeBrincat would agree to a 4 year deal that carries an average annual value and salary cap hit of $7.875 million, with reports that the Senators were prepared to offer both more term and more money in order to keep him for the foreseeable future.
On Monday, while speaking to reporters in Detroit for the first time since officially becoming a Red Wing, DeBrincat revealed why he made the decision to leave Ottawa rather than commit there long term. According to the young forward, he simply did not have enough time with the organization to make that large of a commitment.
"We spent a year there and we just didn't really have enough time to think about signing long-term there," admitted DeBrincat on Monday. "I think there were probably better fits out there for me."
It is worth noting that during DeBrincat's tenure in Ottawa the organization was going through some major shifts with owner Eugene Melnyk passing away and the team being sold by his estate. That level of uncertainty could easily make a player hesitant to commit long-term, a hesitation he clearly did not share when it came to signing with a team in his home statte.
DeBrincat's comments do raise questions about what other teams could have been a better fit for a long-term commitment given the fact that he has spent no time outside of Chicago or Ottawa as far as the NHL is concerned, but in the end he ended up where he wanted to be.
"Growing up here and rooting for the Red Wings when I was younger, it's definitely a dream come true,” he said. “Everyone's happy and it's a good spot for me."
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