Player Discussion Alex DeBrincat

[Ice-Tray]

No, but the fact that Norris makes 8mil is an influential factor in our ability to sign DeBrincat.

It’s a cap problem, I wish every player could be amazing and be paid 8mil

We have 4 guys making that now, with bigger priorities than a 2LW

Nobody ever says get rid of him, trade him and allocate the funds better throughout the lineup

What is the bigger priority than signing a 1st line winger though? We just don’t have glaring holes anymore.

The only other spot that we could use some stability is in net. Trying to dump big money on a UFA goalie is a mistake in my opinion, it rarely works out.

You don’t waste big money on the bottom six, not when we have ELCs to bring up and we already have Pinto Grieg and Kasty for sure.

We don’t need to add on D, and we already have Forsberg in net as a start.

G is 35.

So all I’m hearing is trading quality for quantity for the one year where we have a cap squeeze, where the players we could possibly upgrade on would be one third line spot potentially, and the fourth line. All together that would be unlikely to match DBC’s production alone, and this was a down year for goal scoring for him. We aren’t desperate for cap space, we don’t actually need to trade away our top players for bottom players.

I don’t know why people think you can just go out and get a 40 goal 24 year old 70 point winger.

As the cap goesup those 8 mill deals are going to be absolutely golden for our cap space.

 

[SpezDispenser]

I've never heard of a high ankle sprain taking 14 months to heal. And regardless it certainly didn't prevent him from playing a little bit of defense.

Don't look at me, I'm just regurgitating what was said in that he's finally feeling 100% these last couple of weeks.

 

[bert]

You get a contract like that once every 10 years.

A guy who can produce at a top six level making less than $5M? You have to find a way to keep that.

Dont worry he isnt getting traded unless there is something off the ice that is an issue. The professionals know how good of a bargain it is. I think he needs a new coach more than any player on the team.

I've never heard of a high ankle sprain taking 14 months to heal. And regardless it certainly didn't prevent him from playing a little bit of defense.

Happens all the time. They take forever. He was much better in the second half, playing injured is also a mental toll.

 

[NyQuil]

I think he needs a new coach more than any player on the team.

I feel like a broken record but most of my solutions hinge on a new coach.

Chabot? New coach. Team defence? New coach. Goaltending? See team defence.

We're not developing anyone new (at least, not at the level of a Tkachuk or a Stutzle), we don't have any cap room, what we have is what we've got.

The only way to really know who to keep is to see them perform for someone else.

 

[bert]

I feel like a broken record but most of my solutions hinge on a new coach.

Chabot? New coach. Team defence? New coach. Goaltending? See team defence.

We're not developing anyone new (at least, not at the level of a Tkachuk or a Stutzle), we don't have any cap room, what we have is what we've got.

The only way to really know who to keep is to see them perform for someone else.

I think some guys also may regress including Batherson. Not sure how he handles a coach that is harder on him. But at this point he has shown how well he can play. Need that consistency. I really dont know if the team gets better with a new coach anyone pretending that they know is full of it. DJ has done some good things with this group. Id prefer more attention to detail, id prefer to see players ice time fluctuate based on performance more often. However you need depth to do that too.

I really dont know. haha. But I do know that teams do get a new coach bump and this team has to have a good start next year. I dont think just hiring anyone is a good idea. If the right person doesnt come along sure. However going the route of a new assistant along the lines of a Jaques Martins or Claude Julien that is good at implementing systematical play might be the right call.

I dont trust Dorion to make it though I know that.

 

[Golden_Jet]

I've never heard of a high ankle sprain taking 14 months to heal. And regardless it certainly didn't prevent him from playing a little bit of defense.

Usually a year to have any nagging pain and feeling 100%.

 

[Sens Vader]

What is the bigger priority than signing a 1st line winger though? We just don’t have glaring holes anymore.

The only other spot that we could use some stability is in net. Trying to dump big money on a UFA goalie is a mistake in my opinion, it rarely works out.

You don’t waste big money on the bottom six, not when we have ELCs to bring up and we already have Pinto Grieg and Kasty for sure.

We don’t need to add on D, and we already have Forsberg in net as a start.

G is 35.

So all I’m hearing is trading quality for quantity for the one year where we have a cap squeeze, where the players we could possibly upgrade on would be one third line spot potentially, and the fourth line. All together that would be unlikely to match DBC’s production alone, and this was a down year for goal scoring for him. We aren’t desperate for cap space, we don’t actually need to trade away our top players for bottom players.

I don’t know why people think you can just go out and get a 40 goal 24 year old 70 point winger.

As the cap goesup those 8 mill deals are going to be absolutely golden for our cap space.

Goalie, bottom 6, and most importantly future planning for Pinto and Sanderson contracts

DeBrincat is not worth 8mil imo, based on watching him play this season. He’s a 2nd line LW on this team. I do think he can bounce back to 35-40 goal form though and hope he does wherever that is. Signing him to 8+ and hoping we does is a little risky to me

I’m happy either way is where I’m at. If they sign him great, if they have to trade him I understand and wouldn’t be too upset.

The positives are the cap is going up like you said, and we have 5mil in dead cap from Dorions mistakes coming off the books after next season

 

[SpezDispenser]

We all must remember that DBC is a goal scoring machine. Did he benefit from Kane? Obviously. Is he in the top 15 goal scorers in the last 5 seasons? Yes. Will he benefit from a healthy Norris - or even a Stutzle? Yes. Do wingers that score this much grow on trees? f*** no.

NHL Player Stats in Last 5 Seasons

NHL scoring leaders in the last 5 seasons. NHL stats leaders between 2020-2021 and 2024-2025 seasons.

www.quanthockey.com

 

[GCK]

Without ADC Giroux might not have signed here, it’s likely what put Giroux’s decision over the top.

I can confirm Giroux was coming unless a team in Cup contention offered him a multi year deal that he couldn’t refuse He wanted his kids to get settled in to the city they were going to stay in. Debrincat was not a factor.

 

[NyQuil]

We all must remember that DBC is a goal scoring machine. Did he benefit from Kane? Obviously. Is he in the top 15 goal scorers in the last 5 seasons? Yes. Will he benefit from a healthy Norris - or even a Stutzle? Yes. Do wingers that score this much grow on trees? f*** no.

His goal scoring goes up and down with his shooting percentage.

He actually had almost as many shots this year as his career high.

[TABLE=collapse]
[TR]
[TD]Season[/TD]
[TD]GP[/TD]
[TD]G[/TD]
[TD]A[/TD]
[TD]P[/TD]
[TD]S[/TD]
[TD]S%[/TD]
[TD]TOI/GP[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

20222023​

[/TD]

[TD]81[/TD]
[TD]27[/TD]
[TD]39[/TD]
[TD]66[/TD]
[TD]261[/TD]
[TD]10.3[/TD]
[TD]19:01[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

20212022​

[/TD]

[TD]82[/TD]
[TD]41[/TD]
[TD]37[/TD]
[TD]78[/TD]
[TD]270[/TD]
[TD]15.2[/TD]
[TD]20:51[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

20202021​

[/TD]

[TD]52[/TD]
[TD]32[/TD]
[TD]24[/TD]
[TD]56[/TD]
[TD]155[/TD]
[TD]20.7[/TD]
[TD]20:32[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

20192020​

[/TD]

[TD]70[/TD]
[TD]18[/TD]
[TD]27[/TD]
[TD]45[/TD]
[TD]207[/TD]
[TD]8.7[/TD]
[TD]17:30[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

20182019​

[/TD]

[TD]82[/TD]
[TD]41[/TD]
[TD]35[/TD]
[TD]76[/TD]
[TD]220[/TD]
[TD]18.6[/TD]
[TD]17:42[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

20172018​

[/TD]

[TD]82[/TD]
[TD]28[/TD]
[TD]24[/TD]
[TD]52[/TD]
[TD]181[/TD]
[TD]15.5[/TD]
[TD]14:48[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

 

[SpezDispenser]

His goal scoring goes up and down with his shooting percentage.

He actually had almost as many shots this year as his career high.

[TABLE=collapse]
[TR]
[TD]Season[/TD]
[TD]GP[/TD]
[TD]G[/TD]
[TD]A[/TD]
[TD]P[/TD]
[TD]S[/TD]
[TD]S%[/TD]
[TD]TOI/GP[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

20222023​

[/TD]

[TD]81[/TD]
[TD]27[/TD]
[TD]39[/TD]
[TD]66[/TD]
[TD]261[/TD]
[TD]10.3[/TD]
[TD]19:01[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

20212022​

[/TD]

[TD]82[/TD]
[TD]41[/TD]
[TD]37[/TD]
[TD]78[/TD]
[TD]270[/TD]
[TD]15.2[/TD]
[TD]20:51[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

20202021​

[/TD]

[TD]52[/TD]
[TD]32[/TD]
[TD]24[/TD]
[TD]56[/TD]
[TD]155[/TD]
[TD]20.7[/TD]
[TD]20:32[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

20192020​

[/TD]

[TD]70[/TD]
[TD]18[/TD]
[TD]27[/TD]
[TD]45[/TD]
[TD]207[/TD]
[TD]8.7[/TD]
[TD]17:30[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

20182019​

[/TD]

[TD]82[/TD]
[TD]41[/TD]
[TD]35[/TD]
[TD]76[/TD]
[TD]220[/TD]
[TD]18.6[/TD]
[TD]17:42[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

20172018​

[/TD]

[TD]82[/TD]
[TD]28[/TD]
[TD]24[/TD]
[TD]52[/TD]
[TD]181[/TD]
[TD]15.5[/TD]
[TD]14:48[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Probably got desperate that the chances weren't there as much as they would have been with a healthy Batherson and Norris and began really trying to force it. And hitting posts galore too. If there's a record for posts....

 

[NyQuil]

Probably got desperate that the chances weren't there as much as they would have been with a healthy Batherson and Norris and began really trying to force it. And hitting posts galore too. If there's a record for posts....

These advanced stats are not very reliable, but here they are anyway:

Season	MsS	MsS Wide	MsS Over	MsS Post	MsS Cross
20222023	81	61	12	6	2
20212022	84	70	5	7	2
20202021	44	29	8	6	1
20192020	63	50	8	5	0
20172018	71	53	11	5	2
20182019	79	67	7	4	1

 

[GCK]

I have no doubt Debrincat’s goal scoring will improve next year but we have some glaring issues that need to be fixed and we need cap space to do it.

 

[DueDiligence]

His goal scoring goes up and down with his shooting percentage.

He actually had almost as many shots this year as his career high.

[TABLE=collapse]
[TR]
[TD]Season[/TD]
[TD]GP[/TD]
[TD]G[/TD]
[TD]A[/TD]
[TD]P[/TD]
[TD]S[/TD]
[TD]S%[/TD]
[TD]TOI/GP[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

20222023​

[/TD]

[TD]81[/TD]
[TD]27[/TD]
[TD]39[/TD]
[TD]66[/TD]
[TD]261[/TD]
[TD]10.3[/TD]
[TD]19:01[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

20212022​

[/TD]

[TD]82[/TD]
[TD]41[/TD]
[TD]37[/TD]
[TD]78[/TD]
[TD]270[/TD]
[TD]15.2[/TD]
[TD]20:51[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

20202021​

[/TD]

[TD]52[/TD]
[TD]32[/TD]
[TD]24[/TD]
[TD]56[/TD]
[TD]155[/TD]
[TD]20.7[/TD]
[TD]20:32[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

20192020​

[/TD]

[TD]70[/TD]
[TD]18[/TD]
[TD]27[/TD]
[TD]45[/TD]
[TD]207[/TD]
[TD]8.7[/TD]
[TD]17:30[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

20182019​

[/TD]

[TD]82[/TD]
[TD]41[/TD]
[TD]35[/TD]
[TD]76[/TD]
[TD]220[/TD]
[TD]18.6[/TD]
[TD]17:42[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]

20172018​

[/TD]

[TD]82[/TD]
[TD]28[/TD]
[TD]24[/TD]
[TD]52[/TD]
[TD]181[/TD]
[TD]15.5[/TD]
[TD]14:48[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

DBC was also a goal scoring machine in junior for 3 seasons.

 

[DueDiligence]

Happens all the time. They take forever. He was much better in the second half, playing injured is also a mental toll.

Usually a year to have any nagging pain and feeling 100%.

Not sure where you guys got your medical degrees from but your timeframes are contrary to virtually all medial opinion especially when surgery was not involved. And if you don't believe me then here's a direct quote from Batherson March 15 2022.
“Felt great. I waited until I was pretty well 100 per cent to get on the ice and I had no troubles,” said Batherson, who has been skating at full team practices wearing a normal jersey since Mar. 10.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Not sure where you guys got your medical degrees from but your timeframes are contrary to virtually all medial opinion especially when surgery was not involved. And if you don't believe me then here's a direct quote from Batherson March 15 2022.
“Felt great. I waited until I was pretty well 100 per cent to get on the ice and I had no troubles,” said Batherson, who has been skating at full team practices wearing a normal jersey since Mar. 10.

Batherson: My ankle is finally feeling good, doesn't feel tight anymore

Ottawa Senators forward Drake Batherson meets the media in Boston ahead of the Sens/Bruins game tonight.

www.tsn.ca

Mine took a year and half with physio before pivoting hard one way didn’t bother me. I could do most things after a few months, running bases and skating still bothered me, not enough to not play, but wasn’t at my best. Now Bath gets more physio than I did.
NFL and NBA players have said the same thing.

I can confirm Giroux was coming unless a team in Cup contention offered him a multi year deal that he couldn’t refuse He wanted his kids to get settled in to the city they were going to stay in. Debrincat was not a factor.

Ok I guess your friends with Giroux.

 

[Sensinitis]

It really depends on what ADB thinks is fair.

Other teams will pony up more money for a two-time 40 goal scorer, so it becomes about how much he wants to stay on a team he never asked to join, playing on the 2nd line.

That and how much he wants to stay on a team that is on the cusp of becoming a perennial playoff contender wherein he fits great age wise with the core.

The teams willing to pony up more money won't be the most competitive teams for the most part, those teams just don't have that kind of space.

I also think that some teams will hesitate offering him too much money and term because this season was an indication that he's probably more of a 30-35 goal scorer without Kane if his shooting percentage reverts back to his career average or closer to that range.

 

[DueDiligence]

Mine took a year and half with physio before pivoting hard one way didn’t bother me. I could do most things after a few months, running bases and skating still bothered me, not enough to not play, but wasn’t at my best. Now Bath gets more physio than I did.
NFL and NBA players have said the same thing.

It's very rare that pro athletes don't play with some nagging injuries and some pain. Most guys still play at a high level but with Drake maybe he needs to feel great to perform at his top level. But why the large disparity between his offensive and defensive games?

 

[GCK]

Batherson: My ankle is finally feeling good, doesn't feel tight anymore

Ottawa Senators forward Drake Batherson meets the media in Boston ahead of the Sens/Bruins game tonight.

www.tsn.ca

Mine took a year and half with physio before pivoting hard one way didn’t bother me. I could do most things after a few months, running bases and skating still bothered me, not enough to not play, but wasn’t at my best. Now Bath gets more physio than I did.
NFL and NBA players have said the same thing.


Ok I guess your friends with Giroux.

I have never met him but I run in to a bunch of his buddies on the golf course and they all said he was coming home unless some team did something stupid.

 

[SensHulk]

You get a contract like that once every 10 years.

A guy who can produce at a top six level making less than $5M? You have to find a way to keep that.

I wasn’t proposing making batherson just a cap casualty but between him and DBC, I see higher ceiling with DBC. If you can re-sign the cat, then potentially can get a real solid piece back for batherson.

 

[bert]

Not sure where you guys got your medical degrees from but your timeframes are contrary to virtually all medial opinion especially when surgery was not involved. And if you don't believe me then here's a direct quote from Batherson March 15 2022.
“Felt great. I waited until I was pretty well 100 per cent to get on the ice and I had no troubles,” said Batherson, who has been skating at full team practices wearing a normal jersey since Mar. 10.

Except every hockey player I have ever spoken about it including Crosby. HF boards discounting injuries is my favorite thing about this place. Bunch of people that have never played pretend to know what its like to play injured. Stone in 2017 also specifically sticks out to me.

I can confirm Giroux was coming unless a team in Cup contention offered him a multi year deal that he couldn’t refuse He wanted his kids to get settled in to the city they were going to stay in. Debrincat was not a factor.

I can also confirm this.

 

[DueDiligence]

Except every hockey player I have ever spoken to that has had one including Crosby. HF boards discounting injuries is my favorite thing about this place. Bunch of people that have never played pretend to know what its like to play injured. Stone in 2017 also specifically sticks out to me.

Well Batherson's quote was from over a year ago and it sounded like he was at least 95%. Maybe he is one of those guys that needs to be 100% to play well.
And for the record some of us played at a high level in a sport and played with injuries.

 

[BondraTime]

If you’re looking at creating cap space, Batherson is the least likely forward to move (other than the obvious 2 guys)

 

[Golden_Jet]

Well Batherson's quote was from over a year ago and it sounded like he was at least 95%. Maybe he is one of those guys that needs to be 100% to play well.
And for the record some of us played at a high level in a sport and played with injuries.

Did you listen to what he said last month in the link I provided.

It’s always the pivoting, crossovers (front or backward) and stops and starts that is nagging.

 

[bert]

I have no doubt Debrincat’s goal scoring will improve next year but we have some glaring issues that need to be fixed and we need cap space to do it.

If Formenton comes back and the goaltending stays healthy these problems are largely taken care of. Two big iffs but they arent impossible. I really like the D core going into next year.