Senators Rumors: Alex DeBrincat Trade Talks May Be Stalling With Key Suitor

Things have been quiet around the Alex DeBrincat Trade Sweepstakes of late. Perhaps that's why, according to The Athletic, the list of preferred destinations he gave the Ottawa Senators has expanded over the past week; more teams are getting involved now.

But per NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, one of his prime suitors, the Detroit Red Wings may be playing hardball in a way that could knock them out of the race. 

Number One, I've heard that (Wings GM) Steve Yzerman is not crazy about term. So that's the number one (factor) here. The other thing is... about the way that Yzerman does deals. He'll grind you and he'll grind you and he'll grind you, and he is a grinder. But he'll get to a point where he just says, 'Stop, that's it. No matter what you do to me, I'm not going any farther.' So I (started) saying (to myself), is that going to be a match? Is that going to be enough for Ottawa? 

There's been word that the Senators would have liked to have a deal done by the Draft, in order to secure a first-round pick that they currently don't have. With that being just over 24 hours away, that puts an awful lot of pressure on them, particularly if a GM like Yzerman says, essentially, 'take it or leave it.'

But luckily for the Sens, the Red Wings aren't really the frontrunner anymore, and there are several other teams involved, and in particular, the Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators are among the clubs that DeBrincat would be willing to go to and re-up with. 

The 25-year-old restricted free agent notched 27 goals and 39 assists for 66 points in 82 games this past season.

Photo:  Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports