Alex DeBrincat had no desire to see if he could get more money by waiting. It's an attitude that fits with who he is as a player – and one that enabled the Detroit Red Wings to celebrate as a franchise after a tumultuous time.
DeBrincat led the end-of-practice skating lap on Wednesday, Oct. 14, his smile as big as his new contract: seven years, worth $91 million, a $13 million annual average value that makes him the highest-paid player on the team. Justifiably so.
"What Cat does is, he kind of symbolizes what we all want to become," coach Todd McLellan said. "He's a real competitive guy, gets the most out of what's in that package. He really doesn't take no for an answer. And he brings it all the time. A pretty consistent player. And that's what we want to become as
a whole.
"With some of the things that have gone on around here, it's a good sign for us, for the organization, to have some good news as far as players and contracts and all that type of stuff. And everybody today, from trainers to coaches to his teammates, everybody was happy for him."
DeBrincat's extension kicks in in 2027-28 and runs through 2033-34.
"It's so important to me," the Farmington Hills native said. "I feel like I'm so proud to be a Red Wing and put on that jersey every night and take immense pride in it. And so do a lot of the guys in that room. So, you know, I'm happy to be here and happy to be here for a long time.
"The pride and just what it means to be a Red Wing and put on that jersey − it's a bunch of history. It's some of the all-time greats. It's having that respect for who's come before and trying to get back to that spot in history where the Red Wings are on top and always a contender."
The Wings have just one victory through six games, but not for lack of DeBrincat's fire. He already had four goals and four assists after six games.
"I made clear in the first time I was up here with you guys that it was a priority to get Alex done," interim general manager Shawn Horcoff said. "He's an elite scorer. He does the one thing that's probably the hardest thing to find in the National Hockey League, is score goals. But even more important to that, just his character, his competitiveness. Alex is the type of player that's very difficult to find and it was a very, very good day for the organization with this done.
"Alex is everything we want in a Detroit Red Wing. He shows up to the rink every day with an unbelievable attitude. Every single game, you can see it. The effort is there, it doesn't matter what's going on, on the ice, off the ice. He's putting his heart on the sleeve, he's fighting, we don't want him to, but he's fighting for himself, he's sticking up for teammates. He's got an infectious attitude. He's great to be around."
The signing comes after months of turmoil, starting with Dylan Larkin requesting a trade, Steve Yzerman being pushed out as general manager, and a contract stalemate with Simon Edvinsson.
"These are moments, we've got to make them count," Moritz Seider said. "We have to recognize those moments. He's a big part of our team, a big part of our franchise. Everyone is real happy that we have him for now eight more years. It's going to be a fun time."
Lucas Raymond pointed to all that DeBrincat brings to the team, saying, "The things you see on the ice, the way he's able to score, get in those areas. But also I think just his work ethic, the way he competes in practice on the ice. He's so much more than just a goal scorer. He's a close friend of mine and an unbelievable guy. I couldn't be happier for him."
Contact Helene St. James at Hstjames@freepress.com. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Alex DeBrincat is 'everything we want in a Detroit Red Wing,' and he was rewarded for it
