DeBrincat's $91 million extension is Detroit's only easy call this fall
A seven-year, $13 million-a-year deal locks up the Red Wings' best proven scorer during their messiest offseason in years.
Detroit just bet seven years and $91 million that Alex DeBrincat is the center of what comes next. After the summer the Red Wings just had, that's the easiest call they've made since Yzerman left the chair empty.
Chris Johnston reported the two sides have agreed on a seven-year extension worth $91 million. The AAV is $13 million. DeBrincat gets a full no-trade clause for the first four years and a limited one for the final three.
The deal isn't officially signed yet, but it's come from more than one newsroom now. That's as close to a lock as these things get before the ink.
Here's why it's the right move even at that number. DeBrincat has played all 82 games in every season he's worn the winged wheel. He's a 40-goal scorer who's never dipped below 60 points when healthy.
Detroit just spent its whole offseason proving it has no idea who else it can count on. Dylan Larkin asked out. Simon Edvinsson didn't get his extension. The GM chair turned over to an interim before training camp opened.
In that kind of mess, locking up the one guy who shows up every night and scores isn't a luxury. It's triage.
The term is long for a winger turning 29 this season, and term is where these deals go bad. But the Red Wings aren't buying term as a hedge against inflation.
They're buying it because DeBrincat is already their best proven scorer. There was no version of this summer where letting him walk into free agency next July made the rebuild easier.
Contract card
Term: 7 years · AAV: $13.0M · Total: $91M · Structure: full no-trade years 1–4, limited no-trade years 5–7 · Cap hit: 12.5% of the $104M 2026-27 ceiling.
Comparables: Mikko Rantanen, 8 years/$96M ($12.0M AAV) with Dallas · Jake Guentzel, 7 years/$63M ($9.0M AAV) with Tampa Bay · Auston Matthews, $13.25M AAV with Toronto, the only forward making more per year.
Verdict: team-friendly on production, risky on term. Detroit is paying top-pairing-center money for a winger, and the back half of this deal is a bet on a 35-year-old still driving play.
Detroit's cap sheet already carries plenty of term commitments. This adds seven more years to a roster still looking for direction after Yzerman's exit.
If DeBrincat ages the way wingers with his shot volume usually do, the first four years look like a bargain. The back three are where Red Wings fans should start paying attention.
Next up: DeBrincat's number plugs straight into whatever Detroit does at the deadline and in July. It's a long-term piece locked in while the rest of the roster is still being figured out.
