Octopus Thrower
Fansided

Detroit Red Wings will count on Danny DeKeyser more frequently

By Bob Heyrman

DETROIT, MI - MARCH 31: Danny DeKeyser #65 of the Detroit Red Wings turns up ice with the puck against the Ottawa Senators during an NHL game at Little Caesars Arena on March 31, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. The Wings defeated the Senators 2-0. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Danny DeKeyser
DETROIT, MI - MARCH 31: Danny DeKeyser #65 of the Detroit Red Wings turns up ice with the puck against the Ottawa Senators during an NHL game at Little Caesars Arena on March 31, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. The Wings defeated the Senators 2-0. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Danny DeKeyser /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Detroit Red Wings will ask more of Danny DeKeyser this season.  DeKeyser will see north of 20 tough minutes per night playing against the opponent’s best players.

The last two seasons have been anything but excellent for Danny DeKeyser and the Detroit Red Wings for that matter.  Expect the Detroit Red Wings to grant Danny DeKeyser the opportunity to be the number one defenseman this season.

DeKeyser started out last season with some misfortune.  Danny was injured very early on last season and missed over a month of hockey with a broken ankle.  It’s not only disheartening to be injured, but when it comes in the first week of the regular season, it almost becomes insult to injury.

As a player, you go through all of your offseason training. You complete training camp, which to some, especially the veterans can be a chore.  After the completion of the preseason, the games start to count and boom, your injured for an extended period of time.

More from Red Wings News

That becomes very frustrating, especially a leg, foot or ankle type of injury.  An arm or shoulder injury at the very least allows the player to keep up on his cardio and skating activities.  A broken ankle will keep you off the ice for quite some time.

So this season we hope DeKeyser is lucky enough to stay healthy and get into a groove on the ice early on in the season.  This will allow him to gain confidence and grow as a defenseman.

A couple of different media outlets have asked Danny DeKeyser about his play particularly over the last two seasons.  DeKeyser has owned up to his poor play and his lack of consistency. This is a little piece of Danny DeKeyser speaking with Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News at the conclusion of last season;

"“The ankle set me back a little bit,” DeKeyser said.  “Even after (returning), I didn’t think I was playing some of my best hockey. I thought it would be better but it took more time to get playing where I wanted to be.“December wasn’t great a month for me. I started to play better in January – but I want to be ready from game one.”"

I don’t mind a player owning it. I sort of like that type of attitude rather than a player snapping back at the media or not willing make changes to their game.

DeKeyser has 4 years remaining on his contract worth 5 million per season.  Last season DeKeyser played 65 games recorded 6 goals & 6 assists and was a plus 2 in 20:19 minutes of ice-time per night.  Expect the minutes to be around 23 or 24 per game this season if DeKeyser is playing well.

The Detroit Red Wings will need Danny DeKeyser to step up and fill a leadership role over the next few seasons.  Expect DeKeyser to be the last man standing once the Detroit Red Wings finally do complete a full “overhaul” of the Defense core.

Next. Potential 30 Goal achievers for the Detroit Red Wings. dark

In two years from now at the age of 30, we can expect Danny DeKeyser to be the veteran of the entire Detroit Red Wings defense group. With being the veteran comes more responsibility and with more responsibility like in any other job, comes more accountability.  We hope DeKeyser has the ability to finally flourish as a top-four defenseman.

Home/Red Wings News