The Detroit Red Wings placed both Luke Glendening and Danny DeKeyser on injured reserve and gave an update on their status this morning. Glendening will be out two to four weeks while DeKeyser is out for “at least” two weeks. Justin Abdelkader is also listed as day-to-day.
Glendening, 30, has never been much of an offensive force for the Red Wings but is still relied upon by the coaching staff as a defensive presence. His faceoff ability has always been strong, and he’s shown a willingness to engage physically at both ends of the rink.
That defensive ability and experience actually makes Glendening an interesting trade candidate for the team if they look to shed expiring contracts at the deadline, but he’ll have to get healthy and prove he can still contribute.
For DeKeyser, missing chunks of the season has become routine. The 29-year old defenseman has played just 65 and 52 games the last two seasons, but was still logging more than 22 minutes a night for the Red Wings as a key part of their defense. With a contract that carries a $5MM cap hit through 2021-22, Detroit needs DeKeyser to be healthy and on the ice more often this season. Missing two weeks isn’t a good start.