It's finally over. After weeks of rumors, speculation, and public back and forth, Alex DeBrincat has finally been traded. DeBrincat is headed to his home state of Michigan for the next four years. And his former team has to hope this trade works out after DeBrincat decided against re-signing long-term. Let's take a look at the Alex DeBrincat trade and hand out some grades.

Full trade

The Detroit Red Wings acquired forward Alex DeBrincat from the Ottawa Senators. In return, the Senators acquired forward Dominik Kubalik, defenseman Donovan Sebrango, a conditional 2024 first-round pick, and a 2024 fourth-round pick from Detroit.

The Red Wings subsequently signed DeBrincat to a four-year contract extension. This four-year extension carries a cap hit of $7.875 million in each season. A modified no-trade clause kicks in beginning on July 1, 2024.

As it pertains to the 2024 first-round pick, the Red Wings can choose to send their selection or the Boston Bruins first-round pick that season. However, Boston's first-round pick carries top-10 protection. If that pick lands in the top 10, Detroit can choose between sending Boston's 2025 first-round pick or their own 2024 first-rounder.

Senators trade Alex DeBrincat

The Senators essentially had no choice here. General manager Pierre Dorion had a tough situation to deal with here. And I will say that things could have turned out worse for the Senators.

Kubalik is a fine forward and showed flashes of brilliance last season. He scored 20 goals and 45 points for Detroit last season. However, he did cool off hard after a blazing hot start to the season.

Sebrango is an interesting prospect. While he has fared better in the ECHL than the AHL, he does have legitimate NHL potential. He carved out a leadership role for Team Canada at the World Juniors, as well. And the 21-year-old is an Ottawa native, so there are homecomings happening all around.

However, the return is certainly underwhelming from Ottawa's perspective. It's hard to imagine Sebrango carving out a top-four role in the NHL, though a spot on the second pairing certainly isn't out of the question. And Kubalik is not as promising as, say, Jonatan Berggren would have been for Ottawa.

At the end of the day, Dorion and the Senators had two options. They either got whatever they could from Detroit in a DeBrincat trade, or they kept him at a nearly $9 million salary knowing he'd just go to Detroit in the summer. In that sense, the Senators did what they could here.

Red Wings trade for Alex DeBrincat

The Red Wings have worked the NHL Free Agency market over the last two seasons to find talent. Now, they finally take a swing at a young, high-end talent via trade. And I'd say this looks worthwhile for Detroit.

DeBrincat is everything Detroit needs right now. He is a top-six forward known for putting pucks in the back of the net. He is a two-time 40-goal scorer and has only scored less than 25 in a season just once. The Michigan native is also rather underrated as a playmaker, as well.

Initial reports indicated that DeBrincat wanted eight years in an extension. Additionally, he sought to make $9 million per season. That wouldn't have worked for the Red Wings, who have captain Dylan Larkin as their highest-earning player right now.

In the end, they talk DeBrincat down to a four-year contract. DeBrincat will earn a little north of $8 million in actual salary for the first three seasons of this deal. But his cap hit comes in at less than $8 million for the duration of the contract.

This is a remarkable bit of business for general manager Steve Yzerman. He held all the leverage if reports of DeBrincat only wanting to go to Detroit are true. And he drastically increased Detroit's chances of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs with this move.

Grades and final thoughts

The Detroit Red Wings earn high marks in acquiring Alex DeBrincat. Detroit did not give up any of their top prospects, and they control which of their first-round picks heads the other way in this trade. Furthermore, they signed DeBrincat to a pretty good deal that should age well.

The Ottawa Senators, meanwhile, earn an average grade here. This is not a condemnation of Pierre Dorion, as he is a good general manager. However, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place here. He had to recoup something for DeBrincat, especially given the price they paid to acquire him in the first place. Despite the necessity of this from Ottawa's perspective, it's still an underwhelming return for the team.

Detroit Red Wings grade: A+

Ottawa Senators grade: C+