Throughout the history of sports, financial success has been a combination of talent and timing. Scottie Pippen signed a seven-year contract for $18 million in 1991, locking him into a wildly underpaid deal as he became a core piece of the Chicago Bulls' dynasty, winning six championships in eight years. Sam Bradford was the No. 1 pick of the 2010 NFL Draft and signed a rookie deal worth $78 million. The following season, the NFL's collective bargaining agreement had changed, and No. 1 pick Cam Newton could only sign for $22 million.
We're seeing a bit of unfortunate timing play out in the NHL, too. The Detroit Red Wings gave Alex DeBrincat a seven-year contract extension worth $91 million. It's a very lucrative $13 million per season for the 28-year-old right wing star, but DeBrincat could have potentially scored an even larger deal if he signed a month ago.
The NHL just began a new collective bargaining agreement on Sept. 16, 2026. Under the new agreement, the longest amount of time a player can sign for is seven seasons. The previous agreement allowed contracts up to eight years.
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That means if DeBrincat received an identical deal in terms of average annual value in early September, he could have signed for $104 million and is missing out on $13 million. An extra year of financial security is never a bad thing for any professional athlete.
Then again, if the Red Wings had one more year to offer, perhaps they would have lowered the average annual value. Maybe Detroit only presents a deal worth $11 million (or less) per season.
However that contract may have played out, DeBrincat and the Red Wings are together for the long term. He's been the pinnacle of consistency since joining the team, and even prior to that. He's played in all 82 games for five consecutive seasons, posting 298 goals and 603 points over his career.
The Chicago Blackhawks originally selected DeBrincat in the second round of the 2016 draft. He made his debut in 2017 and spent five years in Chicago before playing a season with the Ottawa Senators. He's now entering his 10th NHL season, and fourth with Detroit.
To date, DeBrincat has made about $46.5 million over his career. By the end of his contract extension, he'll have nearly tripled those earnings. Even if he did miss out on an extra year, that's a fantastic deal.
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