Welcome to a new summer series on Last Word On Hockey. In preparation for the NHL Expansion Draft on June 21st, LWOH’s Detroit Red Wings Department will be going in depth on every Wing that is eligible to be picked by the newest NHL squad, the Vegas Golden Knights, who will begin play in the fall. The team will likely follow the seven-forward, three-defensemen, and one goalie format of protecting players, and this series will follow suit with that. For a brush-up on the expansion draft rules, click this link. Without further adieu, we will continue this series with made in Michigan and overpaid defenseman, Danny DeKeyser.
Danny DeKeyser
Defense, Shoots Left
6’3″, 192 lbs
Age: 27 (This Past March 7th)
Cap hit: $5 million, five years remaining
Reasons for Protection
DeKeyser is still only 27, having played his fourth full season after being signed as an undrafted college free agent in 2013. He has shown a minor flare for offense outside of his traditional stay-at-home style. He racked up 31 points in 2014-15, as well as posting his best possession rating of his career that season at 54.2%. DeKeyser scored eight goals last season as well as one of Detroit’s few contributors on the back-end.
He was considered to be a key mover in the blueline to come for Detroit with his performance to begin his young career. His 48.33% Corsi-against per 60 combined through his first three years in the league ranked 12th among defensemen minimum 2010 minutes of ice time. However, as one could see from his struggles this season playing big minutes, the bulk of the time with Mike Green, he’s not ready for the shut down role. The departure of Kyle Quincey along with injuries to Niklas Kronwall and Jonathan Ericsson rushed him into such a role. A lower role would also be best suited for DeKeyser in getting his game to where it needs to be to play up to the contract. It is tough to find that when Detroit lacks a true number one at this point.
Reasons for Exposing
DeKeyser’s play would be less alarming if he weren’t the second-highest paid defenseman on the team and soon-to-be highest after Green gets traded at the deadline next season. His offensive production has declined from that 31-point season to just 12 points this past season. This coincides with his ice time increasing.
It is unclear if it’s just a system issue with Jeff Blashill versus DeKeyser himself and the team around him just declining, but in 159 games under Blashill his Corsi-against per 60 has gone up to 54.27%. What’s more, he’s getting dragged up by his defensive partners and in some cases he’s dragging them down. In 1875 minutes without Green the past two years, his Corsi-for percentage is at 47.25%. In 921 minutes together they’re at 47.57%, not much better. But in 1587 minutes without DeKeyser, the chains are off with Green, as he’s posted a 53.19% rate. In 1088 minutes without Nick Jensen, the possession rating is down to 45.02%. In a small sample (313 minutes) with Jensen, 50.27%.
Verdict
Expose Him.
DeKeyser would be a nice top-four piece on a team with a deep defense around him. Unfortunately, it’s just not working here. It likely will not improve through the duration of his deal as Detroit slugs through a rebuild. It’s unlikely Vegas picks him up either due to his horrendous cap hit coupled with regression under a new coach; even though they have to hit the cap floor. So even if the Wings leave him exposed, the there is a slim chance of him leaving. The hope is that he turns things around as he gets older. If he’s selected, that is a big dent in the cap crisis.
Check back tomorrow as Frans Nielsen and his tricky no-move clause go through the shredder.
Each link is a gateway to analysis of each player.
Updated Protection List
Henrik Zetterberg (May 25th)
Mike Green (May 26th)
Exposed:
Justin Abdelkader (May 27th)
Niklas Kronwall (May 29th)
Darren Helm (May 30th)
Danny DeKeyser
Advanced stats courtesy of Corsica.Hockey.
Main Photo:
