After Red Wings’ defenseman Danny DeKeyser elected for arbitration, which would give him a one-year deal bridge into being a UFA, reports out of The Hockey News state that the Red Wings and DeKeyser are close to a multi-year contract:
The news on Red Wings defenseman Danny DeKeyser, who did file for arbitration Tuesday, is a little brighter and more certain. It’s believed the two sides are close to a multi-year deal somewhere in the $5 million range, although it would likely be a little lower than that on a long-term multi-year deal and higher than that on a two- or three-year deal.
It’s no surprise that the Red Wings want to lock DeKeyser, a homegrown product that was signed as a free agent out of Western Michigan University, to a contract that would keep him in Detroit for the foreseeable future. The question is if this would be the right decision or not. DeKeyser is one of those players that deceives the term “eye -test,” I say that because while he appears to be a thoroughbred on the ice, the underlying numbers have recently hinted that might not be the case.
There’s no doubt that the Red Wings heavily rely on DeKeyser as a shutdown defender, but his production took a step back last season. Detroit already has big commitments to declining players like Jonathan Ericsson, and Niklas Kronwall. There is a running risk that DeKeyser, who just turned 26 in March, could get a deal that would hogtie the Red Wings’ already problematic logjam of middling defensemen.
Of course, DeKeyser had a very successful 2014-2015 season where he posted over 30 points, and contributed to possession-driving player. There is just as much a possibility that he could reproduce that, and don’t get me wrong, I really like DeKeyser, though I believe that he will need to be put in a situation to succeed.
