The Red Wings were one of the oldest teams in the NHL this year. As the prospects slowly churn through the pipeline, Steve Yzerman has filled the current roster with older NHL veterans to guide the process. Let’s take a look at how a few of those vets turned out this year.
Danny DeKeyser
2021 Statline
Games Played: 47
Goals: 4
Assists: 8
+/-: 3
Preseason Projection
Veteran Defenseman Depth
2021 Season in a Nutshell
The road to a 2021 was a rocky one for Danny DeKeyeser. His season was cut short due to major back pain in October last year. The injury culminated in a major back surgery in December, and the offseason was dedicated to rehabilitation.
The 2020-21 season was nearly as inconsistent as the offseason for DeKeyser. Although he started with the team in January, it was clear he was not 100 percent. He ended up missing a nine game stretch in February trying to get back to full strength. The staff eased him back into the lineup, giving the veteran less than fifteen minutes a night. As 2021 progressed, DeKeyser slowly built up his minutes per night (He ended the season with an average of 18:06 time on ice), and he slowly improved his play.
DeKeyser was never one of Detroit’s best defensemen. Other teams in the league agreed, as he cleared waivers in mid February. He finished with a 43.6% CF% and suffered more than a few defensive lapses (A few of those ended in opposing goals). However, DeKeyser truly did improve as the season progressed. He became one of the few defensemen on the team that could activate any sort of offense on the blue line: he led Detroit’s defensemen in goals and finished with the second most points of the Red Wing’s defense.
They Said It
"“When Danny is healthy, he’s one of our best defensemen. But he’s not 100% right now.”"
-Jeff Blashll via the Detroit News