Red Wings winger Alex DeBrincat is in the final year of his contract and is eligible to sign a contract extension. Unlike some other core players, the belief is that the 28-year-old wants to stay and is willing to sign a new deal. To that end, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported in a recent appearance on OilersNation Everyday (audio link) that DeBrincat is believed to be seeking an annual salary in the $12MM to $14MM range. The variance between the two numbers is based on the term of a potential deal. DeBrincat is currently carrying a $7.875MM AAV on his current deal and has scored 80 goals over the past two seasons. With where the market has gone for top-line wingers, it’s fair to expect that someone will be willing to pay him in that price range if Detroit isn’t.
Elsewhere in the East:
The Rangers announced (Twitter link) that center Joe Veleno left today’s game against Utah with a lower-body injury. He crashed into the boards hard trying to throw a hit and needed to be helped off the ice while being unable to put any weight on his right leg. The 26-year-old inked a one-year, $1.2MM contract on the opening day of free agency this summer after being non-tendered by Montreal. Veleno has played as New York’s fourth-line center in the early going to start the season. With their extra forward (Matt Rempe) not being a center, any extended absence for Veleno could necessitate a recall from AHL Hartford.
Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson is expected to miss at least the next two games as he has left the team’s road trip to return to Ottawa for testing, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The 24-year-old dealt with a lingering injury throughout training camp and wasn’t able to make it through last night’s season opener in Toronto with that same injury creeping up. Accordingly, the team is likely to be extra cautious now with Sanderson. With that in mind, Garrioch wonders if the team might circle back to veteran Ben Hutton who wasn’t signed after training camp and declined an invitation to skate with AHL Belleville. Given how deep they had to go into their defensive depth last season, a bit more depth, knowing Sanderson’s uncertainty, would be a prudent move to make.