25 Chicago Blackhawks In 25 Days: Day 12 Alex DeBrincat

For Day 12 of 25 Chicago Blackhawks in 25 Days, the obvious choice is number 12, Alex DeBrincat.

There should be no questions about who is being previewed today, on Day 12 of 25 Chicago Blackhawks in 25 Days. 5 days ago we previewed Dylan Strome, now it’s time to talk about his friend Alex DeBrincat!

DeBrincat broke out in a big way during the 2018-19 NHL season and part of that can be attributed to being reunited with his longtime friend, Strome. Alex looks to be a big piece of the Blackhawks’ core of the future.

Player Spotlight: Alex DeBrincat

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The Chicago Blackhawks drafted Alex DeBrincat in the second round of the 2016 NHL draft.

DeBrincat, a relatively undersized forward at just 5’7″,  has made a home for himself in Chicago over the last two seasons.

Over the past two seasons, he has played in every game. So much for the haters saying DeBrincat was too small for the NHL.

Last season, DeBrincat scored 41 goals and tallied 35 assists, while playing alongside his friend Dylan Strome.

We have talked a lot about the chemistry these two young players have. Having a line of Strome and DeBrincat helps mimic the Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane dynamic back before the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010.

DeBrincat is going to get paid this year, hopefully, sooner rather than later. Chicago is going to have another difficult salary-cap crunch on their hands, especially if DeBrincat continues to elevate his game.

A lot of time has been spent this offseason trying to distinguish how much DeBrincat should get paid going into the new season. One thing is for sure, the Cat is set for a hefty pay raise.

After two seasons in the NHL, DeBrincat has developed into an elite player for the Chicago Blackhawks. As a go-to top-six player, DeBrincat has scored 19 power-play goals over the last two years.

When he isn’t lighting things up on the ‘Hawks power play, he can be found hanging out with his dog.

Alex DeBrincat has a long career ahead of him, and this season will be big in many ways for him and the Blackhawks. Based on his performance this season, we will see how much the Blackhawks pay him heading into 2019-20. I believe he should sign a 5 or 6-year contract with Chicago for about $7 or 8 million AAV.

The Blackhawks are going to need to dip into their checkbook to sign both DeBrincat and Strome. However, an additional incentive for the two players is to take team-friendly deals to continue playing together.

DeBrincat should have a big season with the Blackhawks. With new players like Andrew Shaw, Dominik Kubalik, and Alexander Nylander, it is anyone’s guess who will play alongside DeBrincat and Strome. We will find out in just 12 days!