Player Discussion: Danny DeKeyser

Lazlo Hollyfeld

The jersey ad still sucks
Mar 4, 2004
28,131
26,425
Right meant signed not drafted, Because he went un-drafted now we know why.

There were several teams courting Dekeyser when he decided to sign with the Wings.

I think he just got overhyped early and is now suffering because he's constantly being asked to play over his head.
 

The Zetterberg Era

Ball Hockey Sucks
Nov 8, 2011
40,956
11,575
Ft. Myers, FL
There were several teams courting Dekeyser when he decided to sign with the Wings.

I think he just got overhyped early and is now suffering because he's constantly being asked to play over his head.

I mean I think there was a lot of over-hyping offensively. My problem with DeKeyser is he is pretty much the same guy who broke in.

He is still the same player in several areas of his game and those are areas where some development was expected.

We can talk about him playing over his head, but the guy is consistently losing battles in corners and in front of his net. Some of the areas where you would have expected at least minimal gains he has made little to no progress. He actually now seems to rush his exit pass more than he even did as a younger player.

I always thought DeKeyser had possibilities as a #4 on a really good team. I am not sure he is that guy, he hasn't gotten worlds better. The disappointment with DeKeyser is in his play and his lack of progress at this point. I want the guy to be successful, local boy makes good is a great story. There seemed to be some promise there, but with no progress and a big contract his criticism is deserved in my opinion.
 

Pavels Dog

Registered User
Feb 18, 2013
19,735
14,704
Sweden

Math says you're wrong...
Ahh yes, the old "there are 30 #1Cs and 60 top-pairing d-men" argument. Good one :laugh:

I mean we literally just signed a defenseman who is better for cheaper off the open market, in Trevor Daley.

DeKeyser is not middle of the pack, he is very much overpaid. Just because there are other overpaid guys, doesn't mean he is not overpaid.

And Niskanen and some of those guys you list are much better players. Niskanen has played 23 minutes a night in Washington at a ~35 pt pace since he has been there. They are getting way more out of him than we are getting out of DeKeyser.
Niskanen is also playing on a team that has a player with as many goals as the entire Red Wings team so far. A team that's always in the hunt for the president's trophy. Too bad we have absolutely zero idea what Dekeyser can do on a decent team.

Oh wait, in the 3 seasons we were a playoff team (not even a very good one) he played at a ~27 point pace. Under Babcock he was playing at over a 30 pt pace.

I'm very disappointed in Dekeyer's lack of development, he seems to have added absolutely no strength whatsoever like I hoped he would, and he's in over his head right now. But guys like him just can't play up to potential in a situation like he's currently in. If he was playing 23 minutes a night and averaging 30+ points on THIS TEAM he would not be a #3D, he'd be a #1D.

Yeah it sucks we have some guys that are overpaid based on what they did when the team was still functional, but them's the breaks.
 

avssuc

Hockey is for everyone!
May 1, 2016
988
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Gulf Coast
Ahh yes, the old "there are 30 #1Cs and 60 top-pairing d-men" argument. Good one :laugh:

Well, since you don't/can't pay draft picks like #1 Cs, and since you wouldn't/shouldn't pay bridge players like #1Cs, how would you extrapolate here?

Does the length of the contract factor into the equation? Would more years lower the hit in some way? I know Quincey isn't playing with the Wings anymore, so his cap hit is 3 X less, but there's probably players out there like that on 1 year deals, so I'd assume that their deals mess with the numbers a bit.

Does his $4.375 million dollar bridge deal factor in? He didn't sacrifice on the bridge, so any argument that he's being rewarded should be muted.

Hometown discount here? Everyone is upset about AA trying to work capitalism to his advantage, but it seems like DeKeyser did it boss style on his bridge, and hit it out if the park on the following one. For a kid from the area, it seems like he pwned his childhood team hard on his last 2 contracts... the opposite of what one would expect.
 
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Redder Winger

Registered User
May 4, 2017
3,700
730
Well, since you don't/can't pay draft picks like #1 Cs, and since you wouldn't/shouldn't pay bridge players like #1Cs, how would you extrapolate here?

Does the length of the contract factor into the equation? Would more years lower the hit in some way? I know Quincey isn't playing with the Wings anymore, so his cap hit is 3 X less, but there's probably players out there like that on 1 year deals, so I'd assume that their deals mess with the numbers a bit.

Does his $4.375 million dollar bridge deal factor in? He didn't sacrifice on the bridge, so any argument that he's being rewarded should be muted.

Hometown discount here? Everyone is upset about AA trying to work capitalism to his advantage, but it seems like DeKeyser did it boss style on his bridge, and hit it out if the park on the following one. For a kid from the area, it seems like he pwned his childhood team hard on his last 2 contracts... the opposite of what one would expect.

Every Red Wings fan knows that Abdelkader, Dekeyser, Glendening and Larkin will be overpaid.
They're from Michigan.
They play for the Red Wings.
Holland hands out money to these guys without reservation.

It will be interesting to see the way Mantha's contract is handled vs Larkin's. And both of those guys vs. Athanasiou's.
 
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izlez

We need more toe-drags/60
Feb 28, 2012
4,576
3,462
Can we find one conspiracy theory and stick with it?

Does Holland go after ONLY Russians, Swedes, or Michiganders? It's so hard to keep track of what region he has a bias for, it's almost as if the bias doesn't exist.
 

Whoshattenkirkshoes

Registered User
Aug 11, 2014
3,817
1,620
Can we find one conspiracy theory and stick with it?

Does Holland go after ONLY Russians, Swedes, or Michiganders? It's so hard to keep track of what region he has a bias for, it's almost as if the bias doesn't exist.

Michiganders seems to be the new mojo. It fits and plays into the new team identity "character"
 
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Bench

3 is a good start
Aug 14, 2011
21,200
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crease
Michiganders seems to be the new mojo. It fits and plays into the new team identity "character"

The local boy narrative is absolutely well established. In years past you had Hatcher, Modano and Rafalski. The Legwand trade was for a local boy. Weiss wasn't a Michigander by birth, but he was still part of the local cohort for sure. That's all in addition to the Abby, Glendening, Witkowski, Larkin, Booth, and DeKesyer group we see currently. I mean, there's 6 on the roster this very moment, making up nearly a third of the active roster.

It sounds silly at first pass, like the Swedish mafia thing, but it's impossible to ignore how many local players they roster in recent years.
 

Henkka

Registered User
Jan 31, 2004
31,077
12,076
Tampere, Finland
Local players have one thing in common.

They have a desire to come to Detroit/Michigan.

That's why it's them who'll come most probably.
 

Oddbob

Registered User
Jan 21, 2016
15,764
10,302
Montreal has found out first hand, why drafting geographically is almost always a bad strategy. Before the Entry Drafts that used to be Montreal's bread and butter, the best of everything Quebec/Montreal born, but in a draft scenario you can't just get the best players going by any specific region. Same thing for Toronto, plenty of Toronto area born players have been in Leaf Land in past years and many couldn't live up to the high expectations of playing in your home market. 3 of the 4 Michigan regulars are overpaid and/or under performing. Glendening competes hard and is a good penalty killer, but 1.8 million a year for a 4th line player who brings no offence at all is way too high. Abdelkader was never a core player, and somehow gets 7 years; the only way that makes sense is if he signed at 2.5 or something. Also he gets a no trade clause which is asinine, in every sense, as only Zetterberg level players should ever get or expect to get these, and for pete's sake, Z doesn't even have one, and neither did Datsyuk. So how do lesser non core players like Abdelkader, Helm and Ericsson get these????? If players in their level have to have NTC's, and won't sign otherwise, you say "Have a nice day, Goodbye!"
 

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