The Detroit Red Wings, in a surprise move, waived defenseman Danny DeKeyser on Sunday.
DeKeyser, 30, has struggled in his return from back surgery, which ended his 2019-20 season after only eight games. He played in the first 10 games this season but has been scratched for the past six.
Given his health and his contract, which runs through 2021-22 at a $5 million cap hit, DeKeyser is likely to clear waivers Monday at noon. At that point, the Red Wings can assign him to the taxi squad, or even the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins if they need he needs to play games there.
Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill has maintained that DeKeyser is cleared to play and that scratching him is a coach’s decision because he is not at full strength.
“Danny is recovering from a major surgery that is taking longer than any of us want, most importantly him,” Blashill said one week ago. “He’s played with not a lot of strength in his one leg and that’s how he played the first six games or so. We just made the decision to go with other guys right now because Danny isn’t 100 percent, he’s not close.”
DeKeyser has one goal, no assists and a minus-3 rating. He is averaging 15:30 in ice time, well below his usual average of around 21-22 minutes per game. He even started the season on the power play, where he has played only sporadically throughout his career.
He lost his spot in the lineup to Christian Djoos, 26, who was claimed off waivers from Anaheim before the season. Djoos has played regularly on the power play.
Prior to this season, DeKeyser hadn’t played since Oct. 22, 2019. He underwent season-ended back surgery in mid-December of that year.
“He did a really good job in camp and in those first six games of going out and giving everything he had given the fact he’s still not fully close to being recovered,” Blashill said on Feb. 6. “When you do nerve damage (in your back) sometimes it takes up to two years for those nerves to fully recover, if they do. I don’t want to be an alarmist, but he’s just working his way back to get way more strength. He’s trying to play in the best league in the world while doing it. At times he’s done it on one leg. We made a decision on putting six guys in who we think give us the best chance to win knowing Danny is not even close to 100 percent.”
Before his injury, DeKeyser was one of the team’s steadiest defensemen for several years because of his mobility and puck-moving ability. He typically logged more than 20 minutes a game, often matched up against the opposition’s top line.
The metro Detroit native was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2012 out of Western Michigan. He has appeared in 451 games, picking up 30 goals and 94 assists.
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The Link LonkFebruary 15, 2021 at 12:23AM
https://www.mlive.com/redwings/2021/02/red-wings-waive-veteran-defenseman-danny-dekeyser.html
Red Wings waive veteran defenseman Danny DeKeyser - MLive.com
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