Latest On Alex DeBrincat
The trade market will only heat up over the next few weeks, and Ottawa Senators winger Alex DeBrincat is expected to be high on the list of most trade bait boards. Reports late last week suggested Ottawa will want to get a move in place by next week’s draft, as the 25-year-old sniper isn’t willing to sign a long-term extension with the Sens after heading to the Canadian capital via trade at this time last year. Today, we have some more clarity on where DeBrincat could end up by the end of the month: the Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, and the Detroit Red Wings are on his preferred list of teams where he’d sign a long-term extension, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports.
Ottawa acquired DeBrincat from the Chicago Blackhawks just before the first round of last year’s draft, conceding the seventh overall pick (used on Kevin Korchinski), the 39th overall pick (used on Paul Ludwinski), and a third-round pick in 2024. How much of that value Ottawa can recoup in a secondary trade remains to be seen.
Garrioch mentioned last year’s Kevin Fiala trade between the Minnesota Wild and Los Angeles Kings as a comparable, with the Kings sending high-end defense prospect Brock Faber and the 19th overall pick in the 2022 draft in return for Fiala’s RFA rights (he then signed a long-term extension). Garrioch argues that Senators general manager Pierre Dorion should be in a position to get a better return, given DeBrincat is a two-time 40-goal scorer at the time of the deal.
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli seemed to pour cold water on that today, however, suggesting an offer from the Detroit Red Wings of winger Filip Zadina (whose time to develop into a full-time NHLer is quickly running out) and futures as a likely return in terms of value for DeBrincat. What does seem clear is that Ottawa likely won’t be receiving a significant roster player in this deal – nor will they be getting the value of picks they gave up for DeBrincat in the first place.
If Ottawa is able to get a prospect closer to Faber’s caliber in return for DeBrincat, though, they should be aiming for a winger who could replace DeBrincat’s spot long-term. The team’s gamble on Tyler Boucher at 10th overall in 2021 doesn’t look like it will pay off, and the team is quickly running out of forward prospects with top-six ceilings with Shane Pinto and Ridly Greig graduating to full-time NHL roles. That could be someone like Mavrik Bourque from Dallas, Fedor Svechkov from Nashville, Mackie Samoskevich from Florida, or Brendan Brisson from Vegas.
Expecting a first-round pick along with Brisson from Vegas may be too much to ask, but the team is slated to pick with the last selection of the first round after winning the Stanley Cup, so it doesn’t quite hold as much value. Dallas and Florida do not have their first-round picks in this year’s draft, while Detroit holds the ninth overall selection, and Nashville holds the 15th and 24th overall picks.
Nashville Predators Sign Fedor Svechkov To ELC
The Nashville Predators have signed one of their top prospects, inking 2021 19th overall pick Fedor Svechkov to a three-year entry-level deal. The financial terms of the contract were not included in the official announcement.
Svechkov, who turned 20 last month, is a Russian center who has thus far spent his entire hockey career in his home country. Up until his first season as a Nashville prospect, Svechkov played for Lada Togliatti in his home city of Tolyatti. In his draft season, he scored 15 points in 15 games at Russia’s junior level and potted an impressive 15 points in 38 games playing against men in the VHL, Russia’s second-highest level of hockey.
Svechkov’s positive traits (namely his polished two-way game) made him a highly-touted prospect at that year’s draft, and he was ranked sixth among international skaters by NHL Central Scouting. After he was selected 19th overall, Svechkov was traded to SKA St. Petersburg, where he made his KHL debut and scored 31 points in 30 VHL games.
In a move that helped him see more regular time in the KHL, Svechkov was traded last summer to Spartak Moscow in a major trade that landed top Carolina Hurricanes prospect Alexander Nikishin in St. Petersburg. The move allowed Svechkov to play in 27 KHL games this past season, and although he registered just four points it’s worth noting that Svechkov’s role steadily increased as the year went on.
Now with this entry-level deal signed, Svechkov will begin his career with the Predators’ organization and begin to acclimate himself to North American ice. While he’ll in all likelihood get a chance to compete for a roster spot in Nashville, it seems the most prudent choice for his development would be to get some experience under his belt beforehand in the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals.
Regardless of where he ultimately begins his season in the fall, this signing brings a talented player into the fold for a re-tooling Predators team and could give AHL fans in Milwaukee the chance to watch one of Nashville’s top prospects in action.