For starters, the answer is yes. If the Blackhawks are indeed ready to 'shake things up,' if they're really willing to entertain offers for Alex DeBrincat and other young players ahead of the trade deadline, yes, Steve Yzerman should give them a call. Of course he should. He gave the Capitals a call ahead of last year's deadline and landed a key piece of Detroit's future in Jakub Vrana.
In Chicago, the present is bleak. The Blackhawks loaded up in the offseason to squeeze another run out of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews and are buried halfway through the season. Interim GM Kyle Davidson is empowered to "make whatever changes he sees fit," NHL insider Frank Seravalli reported Thursday.
"My sense is, the Blackhawks know they need to shake things up there," Seravalli said on SN650. "I think the general consensus has been Kane, Toews and Seth Jones are the three untouchables. If you’d like to take a run at Alex DeBrincat, if you’d like to take a run at Dominik Kubalik or Brandon Hagel or Ryan Carpenter, go down the list, they are all potentially available."
So in the words of Jordan Belfort ...
"The guy that I've got circled there," said Seravalli, is the same one you've got circled, the same one I've got circled and the same one Yzerman might be circling right now: Alex DeBrincat.
"He’s a guy that has just scored at will," said Seravalli.
Since his 2017-18 rookie season, DeBrincat is 10th in the NHL in goals, one spot ahead of Steven Stamkos. He's seventh since 2018-19, one spot ahead of Brad Marchand. He's third over the past two seasons, during which time the 5'7 sniper has scored at the exact same pace as Alex Ovechkin. He has more goals (55) over this stretch than Detroit's top two scorers combined. See what we're getting at here?
Who knows what it would take to pry DeBrincat from Chicago's hands. (Who knows if he's truly even available.) But Yzerman and the Red Wings have every reason to ask. As much as they've solidified the rebuild on the blue line and in net, it's still shaky up front. DeBrincat could be the next cornerstone, a star who's still rising, a forward who fills a need, a Farmington Hills native who'd be right at home in Detroit.
Yzerman also has every reason to be patient. But in this case it might be prudent to rush. Who's the next proven 24-year-old goal scorer going up for auction? DeBrincat is the reality of a dream for the Wings, the best version of what they're trying to draft. They can wait and hope to draft him themselves, and wait and hope some more, or they can make a move for him now. Some say he's a product of playing with Kane. Playing with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, DeBrincat could help propel Detroit's offense for the next decade.
The trade deadline is Feb. 10. Asked last week how he plans to approach it, Yzerman said, "I don’t see us trading good young prospects and high draft picks to acquire players to give us a better chance of making the playoffs. We’re not at that point in our progress to do that." He took a similar stance on free agency, where "if there's a player that can help us and might be with us and be a contributor in a few years, we’ll try to be aggressive when we think it’s appropriate."
DeBrincat would cost exactly what Yzerman is loath to relinquish. He's also the kind of player Yzerman is seeking, a contributor for the long haul. Detroit wouldn't be giving up picks and prospects to chase the playoffs today, but to chase The Cup tomorrow. DeBrincat is signed through next season with a cap hit of $6.4 million, after which he'll be a restricted free agent. He would need a raise, likely a big one. So will Larkin. The Wings would have the flexibility to accommodate both.
OK, the elephant in the room. The Blackhawks will demand a fortune. And the Wings would be buying high, which is a lot different than getting Vrana on the cheap. That goes against Yzerman's code. Still, it's worth a call. Let's take Larkin, Raymond and Moritz Seider off the table. In good conscience, Simon Edvinsson, too. If that ends the discussion for Chicago, fine. But a discussion that starts with draft picks is worth exploring for Detroit. What does more for the Wings' future: two first-rounders or 30 to 40 extra goals per year? What about one first-rounder and, say, Jonattan Berggren?
For the Blackhawks, that's probably not even enough. And it's likely already too much for Yzerman, who's intent on building steadily through the draft. His predecessor made a mess of things by shipping out picks. Difference is, Ken Holland was clinging to the present for teams going nowhere. In any move for DeBrincat, Yzerman would be bolstering teams to come.
When Detroit takes the ice Friday night at LCA, its top four wingers will be Bertuzzi, Raymond, Robby Fabbri and Vladislav Namestnikov. Now imagine a top four of Bertuzzi, Raymond, Vrana and DeBrincat. If DeBrincat even came close to matching his production in Chicago, where he's scored at a 40-goal pace the past four seasons and a 50-goal pace the past two, Vrana wouldn't have to score 30. Larkin and Bertuzzi wouldn't have to score 30-plus. Either way, the Wings would have five forwards good for 20 goals for the first time since ... the last time they played for The Cup.
It's longer than a longshot, not just because of the price, but because Yzerman isn't the GM to pay it. He wants to stay the course with the Wings making progress, and trading for DeBrincat feels like cutting a corner. But if there's a deal to be made for a hometown star, a goal-scoring phenom who's a fit for the future, maybe the appropriate time to be aggressive is now.