Steve Yzerman fleeces the Senators in Alex DeBrincat trade.

There has been a segment of the Detroit Red Wings fan base that has called the work of general manager Steve Yzerman into question, wondering why the rebuilding process has taken so much longer than many had hoped it would.

Although Yzerman will likely always have at least some detractors, he did a good job of thinning out their numbers on Sunday when he pulled off yet another trade that seems to heavily favor his own team.

Yzerman acquired 25 year old scoring forward Alex DeBrincat from the Ottawa Senators and in return only had to give up forward Dominik Kubalik, defenseman Donovan Sebrango, a conditional 2024 first round draft pick, and a 2024 fourth round draft pick. The condition on the draft pick could prove to be an important one, it will give Yzerman the option to either give up his own first round pick, a 2024 first round pick previously acquired from the Boston Bruins, or a 2025 first round pick from the Bruins should the condition on that previous trade with the Bruins become activated.

While it's a great deal for Yzerman and the Red Wings, there will be many in Ottawa who will be critical of the work done by Senators general manager Pierre Dorion. The return for the Senators, who gave up the 7th overall pick at the 2022 NHL Entry draft, a second round pick at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, and a third round pick in 2024 to acquire DeBrincat, is underwhelming to say the least.

The centerpiece of the return is forward Dominik Kubalik who will in no way fill the scoring void on the Senators now left by DeBrincat, although the Senators will have the opportunity to use their newfound cap space to correct that elsewhere. Kubalik had 20 goals and 25 assists for a total of 45 points over 81 games with the Red Wings last season, but that is a far cry from the numbers we have seen from two-time 40 goal scorer Alex DeBrincat in the past.

While there seems to be universal agreement that the Red Wings have won this trade quite handedly, it's worth noting that Pierre Dorion was dealing from a position of weakness with DeBrincat refusing to sign a long term deal in Ottawa. That being said, the Senators were put in that position when Dorion himself gave up a haul of draft picks to acquire the now former Senators forward in the first place.