Alex DeBrincat Refuses to Panic Despite the Detroit Red Wings Chaos

It has been a turbulent offseason for the Detroit Red Wings. A front office shakeup. Dylan Larkin stripped of the captaincy after requesting a trade. Patrick Kane walking in free agency. For most players, that combination would breed genuine uncertainty heading into camp. Alex DeBrincat is choosing a different response entirely.

The Michigan native and Red Wings sniper sat down with The Hockey News' Michael Traikos at the NHL Player Media Tour, and his message was unmistakably steady. Despite everything that has unfolded around the organization this summer, DeBrincat still believes in what Detroit is building.

A Fresh Start Instead of a Crisis

"It's like anything, you don't really like change, and it feels uncomfortable for a bit, but at this time, I think we're all just excited to get back," DeBrincat said. "Kaner's gone, but we got a couple additions that are really going to help us out. So going into the year, we're looking essentially the same as we were last year, and I don't know if much momentum carries over anyways, honestly. So I think it's a fresh start."

That framing matters. Detroit spent much of last season looking like it would finally snap a nine-year playoff drought before completely collapsing when the games mattered most. DeBrincat is not pretending that never happened. He is choosing to treat it as a lesson rather than a scar.

"We can get our minds set and get confident again and learn from our mistakes last year," DeBrincat said. "The first 60, 75 percent of the season was really good. We were right at the top there, and we just, you know, fell off a cliff. So try to get back that confidence side of the game and hopefully not go through that same lull."

Standing By Dylan Larkin Without Making It Complicated

DeBrincat also addressed Larkin's trade request directly, making clear the relationship between the two teammates has not changed regardless of what Larkin decides about his future.

"Yeah, I mean, it sucks," DeBrincat said. "It doesn't really change what we think of him. He's still a great player. He's been a great friend and a great teammate to me, and we obviously love him here. That's kind of for him to answer what's next for him. But for us, I think it's all the same. We're happy to see him at the rink and happy to get started."

DeBrincat can relate to wanting a fresh start elsewhere. He forced his own way out of Ottawa after a single unhappy season before landing in Detroit, the destination he wanted all along. That experience appears to have shaped his empathy toward Larkin's situation rather than any resentment.

Entering the final season of his contract, DeBrincat sure does not sound like a player looking for an exit himself. "Winning is very important to me," DeBrincat said. "I love it here. I think we're closer than people give us credit for. And hopefully this year shows that.” With the season just a few weeks away, DeBrincat is looking forwards a terrific season.