The Buffalo Sabres' quest to add another high-end offensive talent to their roster during the 2026 NHL offseason could lead them to conversations with the Detroit Red Wings.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported Thursday night the Red Wings are fielding calls from rival front offices "inquiring about the potential availability" of winger Alex DeBrincat, a three-time 40-goal scorer.
The Fourth Period noted the potential list of suitors includes the Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks (with whom DeBrincat started his NHL career), Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Seattle Kraken and Toronto Maple Leafs.
"It is unclear if the Red Wings have an appetite to explore a trade involving DeBrincat at this stage," TFP reported.
The 28-year-old Michigan native is coming off another highly productive campaign. He recorded a career-high 85 points (41 goals and 44 assists) while playing all 82 regular-season games for the fifth consecutive season. Durability is probably sports' most underrated trait.
In addition, 23 of those points came on the power play, an area where the Sabres have struggled mightily over the past couple years. DeBrincat has scored double-digit PP goals in seven of the last eight NHL seasons.
The main concern with the former Erie Otters standout — Buffalo fans got a close look at the dynamic 5-foot-8 winger while tracking Connor McDavid, another Erie player in the OHL, ahead of the 2015 NHL Draft — is his contract situation.
DeBrincat only has one year left on his current contract with a $7.9 million salary. Based on his terrific numbers, a rising cap and the exploding deals around the league, he'll likely be due a pretty significant raise when next summer rolls around.
That always creates a tricky trade environment. Not only would the interested team probably have to pay Detroit an hefty cache of prospects and draft picks to complete the deal, but it'd also need to hand the 2016 second-round pick a lucrative extension.
Does that mean it's an idea Buffalo general manager Jarmo Kekalainen shouldn't pursue? No, but it's an extra variable that could make other trade targets higher on the priority list early in the offseason.
How would Alex DeBrincat fit in the Buffalo Sabres' forward group?
In a perfect world, the Sabres would land a bona fide No. 1 center this summer. Someone like Dylan Larkin, DeBrincat's Red Wings teammate, would be a perfect fit because of his scoring ability, power-play contributions and faceoff prowess.
There are only so many of those first-line centerman around the NHL, however, and the acquisition cost will always be sky high since the demand far outweighs the supply.
The reason that's the preferred target for Buffalo is it would allow Lindy Ruff to play Tage Thompson on the wing, which is the veteran head coach's preference. It gives Thompson more freedom to focus on offense while hiding some of his defensive and faceoff deficiencies.
Josh Norris' longstanding injury woes and Jiri Kulich missing a vast majority of the 2025-26 season with a blood clot led Thompson to spend most of his time in the middle once again. It's something the Sabres would like to change if possible.
If it's not going to happen, then Kekalainen's focus will likely shift to top-six scoring wingers.
DeBrincat would certainly rank near the top of that list of trade candidates. The two-time All-Star has compiled 595 points (294 goals and 301 assists) in 696 appearances across nine years in the NHL. He's finished with less than 50 points just once.
If he did land in Buffalo — it'd likely cost at least a young NHL roster player (Kulich or Noah Ostlund), a promising prospect (Radim Mrtka) and some draft picks, including a first-rounder — he'd immediately slot in on the top line alongside Thompson and probably Zach Benson.
It's an intriguing trio on the surface because the Sabres would have two elite goal-scorers paired with a workhorse in Benson, who's relentless on the forecheck and backcheck to regain possession.
As it stands, it doesn't sound like the Red Wings have traveled too far down the road of considering whether to trade DeBrincat. They may wait to see how everything plays out with Larkin's trade request to determine if a complete rebuild is required.
That's fine with Buffalo. It gives Kekalainen time to explore other alternatives, led by the hunt for a top-line center, and he could circle back on DeBrincat if those discussions are unfruitful.
It's a long shot, especially since Detroit would strongly prefer to send the winger outside the Atlantic Division, but it's something to monitor as the offseason rolls on.
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