Chicago Blackhawks trade Alex DeBrincat to Ottawa Senators for three draft picks
The Chicago Blackhawks traded forward Alex DeBrincat to the Ottawa Senators for three draft picks, including the No. 7 overall selection on Thursday night, which they used to select defenseman Kevin Korchinski.
In addition, the Blackhawks received the No. 39 pick in this year’s draft and Ottawa’s third-round selection in 2024.
In DeBrincat, the Senators get a two-time 40-goal scorer to add to their young and up-and-coming roster. The 24-year-old is expected to attract a hefty raise once his current three-year, $19.2 million deal expires after the 2022-23 season.
The winger matched his career high with 41 goals this past season and set a career best with 37 assists in 82 games.
“We thank Alex for his tireless dedication to the Blackhawks organization over the last five seasons and wish him the best in Ottawa,” Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said in a statement. “It was an incredibly difficult decision to trade a player of Alex’s caliber.
“We feel as if this move sets the Blackhawks up for future success by giving us additional flexibility and future talent. … We are excited to move up and make a pick this evening.”
With the addition of the two picks in this year’s draft, Chicago now has seven selections in the first three rounds — one first-round, three second-round and three third-round picks. Chicago also has two picks in the sixth round and one in the seventh round.
The trade comes with the Blackhawks having reached a crossroad in their franchise’s direction. Chicago has missed the playoffs in four of the past five seasons, and hasn’t won a postseason round since 2015, when the Blackhawks won their third Stanley Cup in six years.
The DeBrincat deal will create more questions for longtime Blackhawks stars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.
Toews and Kane — still one of the league’s most dynamic players at age 33 — have no-movement clauses, making a trade unlikely unless they ask for a change in scenery. But DeBrincat’s departure could prompt Kane or Toews to seek a new home.
DeBrincat was selected in the second round of the 2016 NHL draft and posted 307 points (160 goals, 147 assists) in 368 regular-season games with the Blackhawks.
He will join a burgeoning Senators roster that already features a collection of promising youngsters including Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.