Alex DeBrincat of Detroit Red Wings looking on.Alex DeBrincat (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
With the Detroit Red Wings performing well below expectations, general manager Steve Yzerman should consider trading Alex DeBrincat or another stud forward to shake up his roster.

Alex DeBrincat is among the handful of big-time scorers on the Red Wings roster, along with Lucas Raymond, captain Dylan Larkin, rising star blueliner Moritz Seider plus veterans Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko.

But the Wings have been a giant disappointment so far in 2024-25, limping to a 10-11-3 start that has them on pace to finish well outside the playoff race. It’s been quite the underwhelming start, considering they only missed out on the playoffs a year ago via tiebreaker to the Washington Capitals (both had 91 points).

The Wings need more help on the blue line, and a consistent 30-goal threat like Alex DeBrincat could net Yzerman the very player he needs.

 

Perhaps no Stanley Cup hopeful is a better landing spot for DeBrincat than the Colorado Avalanche. As they await the return of captain Gabriel Landeskog, the Avs have been overly reliant on superstars Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar to carry the offense.

When Landeskog returns, he’ll presumably return to the top line with MacKinnon and Rantanen. But No. 2 center Casey Mittelstadt could use a scorer like DeBrincat to complement him and Valeri Nichushkin.

What Avalanche Should Offer Red Wings For Alex DeBrincat

Per PuckPedia, DeBrincat and Avs defenseman Devon Toews have similar cap hits ($7.875 million and $7.25 million). But when Landeskog comes off the long-term IR, Colorado will need to clear more cap room.

So a fair trade would see the Avalanche deal Toews, veteran forward Miles Wood, a 2026 first-round pick and defenseman prospect Sean Behrens to the Red Wings for DeBrincat.