5. Alex DeBrincat
Ah, this feels familiar. Alex DeBrincat could be available once again just one year after the Chicago Blackhawks traded him to the Ottawa Senators. The Sens failed pretty miserably in accelerating the rebuild. After adding DeBrincat, Claude Giroux, Cam Talbot, and Jakub Chychrun (which weirdly happened in the middle of the season), the Senators still finished sixth in the Atlantic Division, five points out of the final playoff spot.
The Senators won’t want to rebuild again. They are built to win as long as they get a goalie. Maybe the Devils could add Mackenzie Blackwood to a deal. That’s besides the point. The Devils sending them Bratt for DeBrincat allows both teams to move on from bad contract situations. DeBrincat is also a restricted free agent with an expected hard negotiation coming. However, new situations could benefit both Bratt and DeBrincat.
The one issue is DeBrincat’s lack of playoff experience. He only has experience from the strange 2020 bubble, but he was pretty good. He had six points in nine games. However, the Devils will want a little more. The others on this list (outside of Keller) can bring that playoff experience to the table.
The whole reason for this exercise is to show how unlikely a Bratt deal is. The Devils are going to sign him. If these aren’t the players in your fake trade, then it’s not worth making.