He had announced a while ago that he didn't want to sign with Ottawa, but the Sens still held his rights as he was a restricted free agent.
DeBrincat was the one orchestrating that move. He wanted to play in Detroit and did what he needed to do to make it happen.
An interesting piece of information confirming his desire to leave Ottawa was released, and it wasn't about money.

A reporter revealed on Twitter that Ottawa offered him an 8x$8M contract, but he declined.
This confirms that DeBrincat's decision wasn't solely driven by money and that the Senators genuinely wanted to retain him. After all, they invested significantly in him by using their 7th overall pick last season.
The Senators boast a strong core of young and talented players, including Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris, Tim Stutzle, and Thomas Chabot. It seems like an enjoyable atmosphere to be a part of.
We may learn more about the reasons behind DeBrincat's decision when he chooses to share more in the future.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 10 | 219 ANSWERS We Now Know What the Ottawa Senators Offered Alex DeBrincat Who do you think will be better next season? | ||
| Senators | 114 | 52.1 % |
| Red Wings | 105 | 47.9 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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YESTERDAY
JUNE 2, 2026
| ||||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Shea Theodore | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Brayden McNabb | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Brett Howden | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Tomas Hertl | 1 | - | 1 | |
| William Karlsson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jordan Staal | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mitch Marner | - | 1 | 1 | |
| K'Andre Miller | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Colton Sissons | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jaccob Slavin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Cole Smith | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | - | - | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | - | - | |
| Jackson Blake | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||