Detroit Red Wings: 3 players who will make biggest impact in first year
By Tyler Kotila
Blockbuster addition to the Detroit Red Wings, Alex DeBrincat.
Surely, it’s a slam dunk to include Alex DeBrincat, but the Detroit Red Wings made one of the biggest trades of the off-season, if not the biggest, in their deal with Ottawa. After bringing in DeBrincat to join the Red Wings, their offense got a nice boost in performance.
It may not be as much of a slam dunk for DeBrincat to jump in and be amazing. He will pack a punch and be really exciting this season, but there’s at least something worth mentioning. While he is the biggest off-season addition, he’s heading into uncharted territory in Detroit.
DeBrincat has always played second-fiddle to superstars or just a few players who maintain the spotlight. Dylan Larkin and him should complement each other well, but both seem as if they would thrive in that secondary spotlight.
So, it will be interesting to see how the two navigate things this season. Hopefully, it’s a good tandem where both can provide a ton to the Red Wings’ offense in 2023-24. DeBrincat will surely be one of the most impactful players on the Red Wings; seeing how well he can perform in year one with Detroit will be interesting.
He’s coming off of the 2022-23 season, where he played in 82 games for the Senators, scoring 27 goals and adding 39 assists for 66 total points. He has a track record of scoring and being a real offensive threat. Detroit is hoping for more of the same from the Michigan native.
DeBrincat has scored 40+ goals twice in his career. Marián Hossa, from the 2008-09 season, was the last player to reach the 40-goal threshold in Detroit. It’s been quite a while, and it would be interesting to see DeBrincat come out and find that type of success, but it would be an excellent start for him in Detroit as the most significant off-season addition from this summer.