Red Wings change course, Czech footprint in Detroit finally disintegrated

Just as not long ago the Red Wings were flying the colours of the Czech flag, now you won’t see a Czech hockey player in Detroit. Dominik Kubalik, the last of the mid-European big men, has been traded to Ottawa. American forward Alex DeBrincat is heading in the opposite direction.

Last year we could see a relatively strong Czech representation on the Red Wings roster. Filip Hronek, Jakub Vrána, Filip Zadina and Dominik Kubalík. Now, a few months later, the latter is leaving Detroit.

Kubalik was part of a trade to Ottawa. In his place, forward Alex DeBrincat, who has long wanted to be traded to an organization in the United States, is going to Detroit. The 25-year-old Michigan native also landed a relatively lucrative contract with the Red Wings.

Over four years, DeBrincat will earn $31.5 million. He earned this contract for his steady performance, surpassing the 50-point mark in virtually every season since 2017/2018. In his last season, he amassed 66 points for 27 goals and 39 assists in a Senators jersey.

Dominik Kubalik spent just one season in Detroit, in which he put up 45 points on 20 goals and 25 assists in 81 games. Previously, he played for the Chicago Blackhawks, where he coincidentally also met DeBrincat, instead of whom he is now heading to Canada.

Both the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings organizations have been going through major rebuilds in recent years, which has kept them out of the Stanley Cup playoffs on a regular basis. However, both clubs would like to finally break out of the dark times in the near future.

A complete exodus of Czechs

General manager Steve Yzerman seemed to trust the Czech hockey players. Last year, four of them were on the roster. During last season, Jakub Vrana left the team after losing the organization’s trust after personal problems forced him to join the assist program.

Defenseman Filip Hronek was also traded to Vancouver just before the trade deadline. His namesake, Filip Zadina, left Detroit a few days ago when he voluntarily terminated his contract with the club.

Dominik Kubalík was the last Czech player in Detroit for a few days. Czech fans of the Red Wings will not be too happy.

Source: NHL