NHL trade grades: Red Wings level up with DeBrincat deal - ESPN

The possibility of Alex DeBrincat being traded this summer had been a topic of discussion for weeks.

On Sunday night, the Detroit Red Wings were the team to offer the right package in return for the talented winger, sending forward Dominik Kubalik, defenseman Donovan Sebrango, a conditional first-round pick in the 2024 draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft to the Ottawa Senators. Following the trade, the Wings signed DeBrincat to a four-year, $31.5 million contract.

How did both GMs do in this swap? Here are our grades for each side:

Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman laid out his «Yzerplan» when he took over the team in 2019. They would amass picks and build through the draft. While they haven't had any lottery luck, Detroit has built a solid base of prospects: defenseman Moritz Seider, forward Lucas Raymond, center Marco Kasper, defenseman Simon Edvinsson and others.

Again, there isn't a Connor Bedard at the center of this galaxy, but there might be some shining stars down the line.

Another part of the «Yzerplan»: branching out into unrestricted free agency to build a supporting cast for these young players. Last offseason, it was Andrew Copp, David Perron and Dominik Kubalik. This offseason, it's J.T. Compher, Daniel Sprong and Christian Fischer.

But there has been one weakness in the plan: finding ways to increase the NHL-proven high-end offensive talent on the roster.

Since 2015-16 — the last time the Red Wings made the playoffs or finished with a points percentage over .500 — they've had only one player score over 70 points or score more than 30 goals. His name is Dylan Larkin, and he has been lonely.

So with that preamble out of the way: The Alex DeBrincat trade is a huge win for Detroit and an indication that