Detroit's front office has a fresh decision to weigh on Alex DeBrincat, and it starts with a swap that would send the winger out of Hockeytown. A trade scenario circulating on the roster-building tool PuckGM has the Detroit Red Wings shipping DeBrincat to the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2027 first-round pick and a 2027 third-rounder.
Detroit would retain $3.9 million of DeBrincat's $7.875 million cap hit in the proposed scenario, leaving Chicago on the hook for roughly $4 million for a single season of a proven scorer. That structure is what makes the swap plausible on paper, turning an expensive rental into a bargain for a Blackhawks team still building out its core.
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DeBrincat is 28 and coming off the best year of his career. He posted 82 games, 41 goals, 44 assists and 85 points in 2025-26, leading the Red Wings in scoring for the season, according to contract and production figures listed on PuckPedia . It marked his third 40-goal campaign, a level of consistency few wingers in the NHL can match.
He's playing out the final year of a four-year, $31.5 million contract signed with Detroit in 2023, and he's set to hit unrestricted free agency next summer. That expiration date is the entire premise behind moving him now rather than watching him walk away for nothing next July.
Losing 40 goals from the top six is no small subtraction for a Detroit team still sorting out its identity, particularly with center Dylan Larkin's situation unresolved. Lucas Raymond would inherit a bigger offensive burden if DeBrincat left, and the Red Wings would be banking on future draft capital over present-day scoring punch, a bet that only makes sense if Detroit views itself as a season or two away.
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Detroit projects roughly $19.6 million in salary cap space for 2026-27, according to the team's salary cap breakdown published by PuckPedia , giving the front office room to operate even before a DeBrincat trade clears more. Moving out half the winger's cap hit would add flexibility for a Simon Edvinsson extension or other roster moves, with the retained money counting toward Detroit's three-slot retention limit for a single season.
Chicago's cap sheet is a bit tighter. The Blackhawks show just over $2.4 million in projected room for 2026-27, according to PuckPedia's breakdown , though absorbing roughly $4 million for one discounted season fits inside that margin. Chicago still holds three first-round picks in 2027, softening the cost of surrendering one for a proven winger and leaving the cupboard far from bare.
Pairing DeBrincat with Connor Bedard gives the Blackhawks a finishing threat they've lacked since the rebuild began, the kind of complementary scorer that can turn a young center's playmaking into goals on the board. Because the deal covers only one season, Chicago could test the fit and either re-sign DeBrincat next summer or let him walk in free agency without further long-term commitment.
The framework favors both sides in different ways. Detroit converts a pending free agent into future draft capital and cap space, while Chicago buys a proven 40-goal scorer for a single discounted season without mortgaging its prospect pipeline. Neither club takes on long-term risk, which is exactly why the idea has circulated among cap-focused hockey fans as the season approaches.
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