Senators announce their plans with pending free agent Alex DeBrincat

The Ottawa Senators have struggled mightily this season, following an offseason in which it looked like the team was ready to take a step forward, they've fallen flat on their face.

Senators GM Pierre Dorion added goaltender Cam Talbot and forwards Claude Giroux and Alex DeBrincat to his core this past offseason, but it hasn't been enough to turn the tide. So... what's next?

DeBrincat is scheduled to become a restricted free agent and is due an insane $9 million qualifying offer in order to retain his rights. This means that if the Sens want to hang on to DeBrincat's rights and not risk losing him for nothing as a free agent, then they'll need to buck up at least $9 million annually. Yikes...

I like DeBrincat as much as anyone else, but I don't think he's worth $9 million per season. So... what do the Sens do? Do they trade him elsewhere and move on?

Not a chance says Dorion.

In a media session earlier today Dorion informed everyone that the team will NOT be trading DeBrincat ahead of the NHL's March 3rd trade deadline.

Interestingly enough, Dorion wouldn't comment much when asked about the potential of an offseason trade. So, to me, it looks like DeBrincat is off the market as a rental option but if there's a team that wants to commit to him long-term, he could be had in the offseason. Stay tuned.