It's pretty much impossible to figure out a scenario where it'd make sense for the Tampa Bay Lightning to trade for Dylan Larkin. At this point, it's being treated like a foregone conclusion that the Detroit Red Wings captain will be on the move this summer; however, that likelihood could force the organization back into an on-the-fly rebuild.
If that happens, the focus in Detroit will shift onto the younger core of players, which means someone like Alex DeBrincat could be the next trade domino to fall. There is no guarantee that Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman will go in this direction. After all, the Original Six franchise now has the longest active streak without a playoff appearance, standing at a decade.
Perhaps the Red Wings can't acquire the kind of win-now pieces they want for Larkin, and they instead have to change their timeline. At that point, DeBrincat--whose contract will expire at the end of 2026-27--would likely be the next major piece traded out of Detroit.
And while Dylan Larkin would solve no problems for the Lightning, Alex DeBrincat certainly would.
Alex DeBrincat could help elevate a healthy Lightning team back to Stanley Cup contention
DeBrincat is a needle-mover in every sense of the phrase. He has established himself as one of the NHL's better goal scorers, and there's no skill harder to find than that one. The forward has seen his goals trending upward over the last three seasons, and at 28, there's reason to believe that he'll be able to continue that trend for at least another few years.
The Lightning would probably need to go mostly all in on a trade for DeBrincat, but this top-six would be among the best in the NHL for the foreseeable future. Especially if Brayden Point can bounce back next season.
Brandon Hagel | Anthony Cirelli | Nikita Kucherov |
|---|---|---|
Jake Guentzel | Brayden Point | Alex DeBrincat |
With the rise of the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens, contending in the Atlantic Division is only going to get tougher. Now isn't the time for Julien BriseBois to start being cautious. He's pushed the Lightning to this point by being an active trader, willing to move futures for win-now pieces.
A glance at that lineup should be all the evidence required to make the idea of trading several prime win-later assets for DeBrincat seem like a pretty good one. Assuming mostly healthy seasons from these players, another prime year from Vezina Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy, a bounce-back from Victor Hedman and more brilliance from Jon Cooper, this is a move that could push Tampa's Stanley Cup window back open.
Alex DeBrincat doesn't just bring goals to the table, fills another desired trait for Lightning
After getting out-truculenced by the Florida Panthers one too many times, there was a mandate in Tampa to get tougher to play against. They probably went too far in that direction, but with DeBrincat, the Lightning wouldn't be picking one or the other.
Listed at 5-foot-8, the idea of the wing making Tampa harder to play against might seem laughable. Yet, Lightning fans who are familiar with what he brings to the ice every night know that he'd be a hard-working addition to the top-six.
DeBrincat is a puck hound on the ice and was one of the few Red Wings players who haven't shrank as the playoff pursuit gained pressure down the stretch over the last two years. When games get higher stakes, this is a forward who knows how to elevate his game to meet the moment. He never takes shifts off, and would be another shot in the arm for the Lightning's culture.
That aspect of his game might be what makes DeBrincat such an excellent option for the Lightning to consider should the Red Wings start selling off pieces. He has skill, yes, but so does Patrik Laine, a player we recently considered as a potential buy-low option for the Lightning to improve on the right side. DeBrincat has what so many other players don't, though, and that is guts and a true will to win.
Sounds like a player who is worth a pick, prospect, and mid-range NHLer to us.
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