The NHL might be on summer vacation league-wide, with most teams being done with their business. But for the Detroit Red Wings, they still have work to do, and they have two important tasks. First, it's finding Steve Yzerman's replacement(s) to run the hockey operations department. Then, it's trying to figure out what to do with Dylan Larkin, the team captain who requested a trade back in June.
Given that there hasn't been much progress, there is a likelihood that Larkin will be with the team for the start of the season. Granted, that all depends on who will be the president of hockey operations and general manager. If Larkin stays, there is an opportunity for the Red Wings to remove the captaincy from him and give that responsibility to someone else.
Maybe one player who can do so is winger Alex DeBrincat.
Alex DeBrincat could play key role in Nate Danielson's development if cards fall right
With Larkin's status with the Red Wings being uncertain, that would leave them with a huge void at center. The easiest way for them to fill it is with one of their top prospects. The top center prospect is Nate Danielson, who struggled when receiving his first call-up last season. Even so, the expectations for Danielson are high. How could the Red Wings ensure that he reaches his full potential? How about pairing him with DeBrincat.
The Athletic's Max Bultman recently answered fan questions in a mailbag article. One fan mentioned the idea of putting Danielson on the same line as DeBrincat in an effort to show off the young center's playmaking skills. Bultman agreed with the idea, but noted that Danielson to play well enough to make it into the top six.
"I can see the logic there for sure. DeBrincat will obviously be very high up the lineup, so Danielson would have to really earn his way into that kind of a role, but I do think playing him with a proven scorer is a good way to get him going in the NHL," writes Bultman.
This would be the ideal scenario for Danielson, as he tries to take that next step in his pro career. It is difficult to produce consistently on the stat sheet if he is in the bottom six. The dream would be to make it into the pros and end up on one of the top two lines. That spot opens up if the Red Wings traded away Larkin. But, Danielson could do so if he plays well enough in the preseason, or at the start of the season in the AHL.
Last season, Danielson played in 28 games for the Red Wings, where he only recorded two goals and five assists. He would suffer a season-ending injury this past February in the AHL.
Pairing Danielson with DeBrincat would be ideal, since the latter is one of the more underrated scorers in the game. Throughout his nine year career, DeBrincat only scored less than 27 goals once. Plus, this past season, DeBrincat tied a single-season best for him with 41 goals, which he had done in the 2018-19 and 2021-22 seasons.
If anyone can help a rookie center, it would be DeBrincat. And if Danielson has a great year? Center doesn't become as much of a pressing need for the Red Wings.
Alex DeBrincat does carry uncertainty beyond this upcoming Red Wings season
DeBrincat is easily the Red Wings' top offensive player, there's no denying that. The thing is, he is only under contract for this upcoming season, where he will then hit free agency. If DeBrincat does hit the open market, he will be one of the top forwards available, and could command a huge contract from interested teams.
The thing is, the Red Wings do hold an advantage, as DeBrincat said he was open to re-signing with the team. DeBrincat is a Michigan native, so it makes sense why he'd want to stay, even as the Red Wings are in the midst of a brutal playoff drought. However, DeBrincat said it would be up to the team to see what they'd want to do.
Again, that will all depend on who the Red Wings hire as their head of hockey operations. Do they want to re-sign DeBrincat? If so, how much are they willing to offer? Based on recent reporting, the Red Wings may not have a president of hockey operations or a general manager until we get closer to the start of the regular season. So, don't expect there to be much progress until the Red Wings make a hire.
DeBrincat does make sense as the next captain if the Red Wings want to remove the title from Larkin Defenseman Moritz Seider also makes sense. But, we'll see what happens in the coming calendar hockey year, and if DeBrincat will be part of the team's plans for the future.
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