'I loved my time here': DeBrincat's in town, but his old Blackhawks teammates aren't

On Day 1 of the NHL draft last July, the rumor mill started swirling that the Blackhawks might be on the verge of some franchise-altering moves.

Alex DeBrincat, in his Chicago home and preparing to go to a summer-league game at the time, was certainly not deaf to the chatter.

"I knew something was going to happen - or had a feeling," DeBrincat said in the visitor's locker room Monday at the United Center before his Ottawa Senators were beaten 5-0 by the Blackhawks.

That feeling turned into dismay as soon as DeBrincat saw Hawks GM Kyle Davidson was calling to break the news that he had, in fact, been traded.

Not only had DeBrincat grown to love Chicago and the organization that drafted him in 2016, he also had become extremely close to linemate Patrick Kane.

"I loved my time here," said DeBrincat, who ripped home 160 goals in five seasons with the Hawks. "I thought I was going to be a Blackhawk forever. Obviously didn't turn out that way.

"The initial shock of it is tough."

It can take quite some time before players feel comfortable in a new environment and that was the case for DeBrincat. In a January story in the Athletic, DeBrincat talked about some of the oddities that go with living in Canada.

Among them:

• The trash pickup only comes every other week.

• His favorite pregame drink of Canada Dry ginger ale is difficult to find in six- or 12-packs.

• He has to go into downtown Ottawa for Chipotle.

• Speedometers are in kilometers, and temperature readings are in Celsius.

"He hadn't lived in Canada," said Sens coach D.J. Smith. "There's all those things that go with it. ... It takes a little bit.

"But probably December he really started to know his place and feel a lot more comfortable. And we're gonna need everything from him down the stretch if we're gonna have any chance."

DeBrincat scored 41 goals for the Hawks in 2021-22, tying his career high. This season, he has 20 goals and 34 assists, with 14 of those tallies coming in the last 37 contests.

His surge is a big reason why Ottawa is 12-4-1 in the last 17 games - and in playoff contention in the Eastern Conference. The two wild-card spots will likely go to the Sens, Islanders, Penguins and/or Sabres.

"We're playing meaningful games right now, which is a lot of fun," DeBrincat said.

DeBrincat admitted he was looking forward to Monday's game, saying, "it's definitely one I've had circled on the calendar." He returned to take on a Hawks squad with almost no familiar faces on it.

Former teammates Dylan Strome, Brandon Hagel, Dominik Kubalik, Kirby Dach and others have all scattered to other teams. But the weirdest thing was not going up against Patrick Kane or Jonathan Toews.

"You grow up watching those guys and then playing with them," DeBrincat said. "They're definitely the heartbeat of that team and face of the franchise, so it's tough to see them not playing."

Hawks coach Luke Richardson joked that DeBrincat wouldn't get any preferential treatment with all his friends gone. Although, to be fair, at least one remains in Mackenzie Entwistle.

The 5-foot-7 DeBrincat used to nip at Entwistle's heels during practices, trying to get him to engage. The 6-foot-3 Entwistle would never comply, though, telling reporters the equivalent of: "How would it look for me to take on someone almost a foot shorter?"

"I picked on him a bit last night when we went to dinner, so I got him good," DeBrincat said. "He's a good buddy of mine and it's fun to mess with him all the time. ...

"Even though he's way bigger than me, if we were to fight in this game I think I'd come out on top."

To no one's surprise, a fight never materialized, but the Hawks showed an amazing amount of grit en route to a stunning victory. DeBrincat took 7 shots on goal, but was on the ice for the Hawks' first 3 goals. Not exactly the homecoming he was expecting.