Ottawa Senators expected to take forward Alex DeBrincat to arbitration

According to Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, the Ottawa Senators will elect to take forward Alex DeBrincat to arbitration ahead of Thursday’s 5:00 PM ET deadline.

Garrioch reported that DeBrincat doesn’t want to sign with the Senators, with the 25-year-old winger requiring a $9 million qualifying offer – a deal the Senators look unable to afford. This would allow for the Senators to get a 15 percent discount on his contract, which would allow for an easier trade scenario down the line.

GM Pierre Dorion hinted at in a recent TSN 1200 radio interview that the team would consider going down this route if DeBrincat wasn’t prepared to sign long-term. There’s a belief the Senators could move DeBrincat by the NHL Draft, set to begin on June 28 in Nashville.

DeBrincat finished his first NHL season with the Sens 78 points, 12 points shy of his career-best set with Chicago last season. The Sens acquired him at the draft last year in exchange for the seventh overall pick, a 2022 second-rounder and a third-round pick in 2024.

A two-time 41-goal scorer, DeBrincat had just 27 this season – the second-lowest total of his career. Still, he was one of the SEnators’ top players this year, finishing fourth in scoring for a team that fell below expectations, missing the postseason.

The Senators could look to get some extra draft capital back, with the team not selecting until the fourth round. They have three seven-round picks to make up the majority of their five picks total. The club has $17 million in projected cap space, but have to come up with deals for Shane Pinto and Erik Brannstrom, among others, as well as potentially signing Jake Sanderson early ahead of his restricted free agency phase next summer.