Danny DeKeyser

Five Key Stories: 12/16/19 – 12/22/19

December 22, 2019 at 8:29 pm CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

The days leading up to the NHL’s Holiday Roster Freeze are always full of potential for big moves by teams looking to make a change before a stretch of mandatory inactivity. This year did not disappoint, as the biggest target on the rental market was dealt, highlighting a busy week. Here are the five biggest stories of the past week:

Taylor Hall Traded To Arizona: The week started with a bang, as the Taylor Hall saga came to an end with a trade to Arizona. The Coyotes sent a 2020 first-round pick, a conditional 2021 third-round pick, and prospects Nate Schnarr, Nick Merkley and Kevin Bahl to the Devils. New Jersey retained half of Hall’s $6MM cap as well. Hall was the top name in the rental market this season, but many were left underwhelmed by the trade return. The asking price may have been affected by Hall’s reluctance to negotiate an extension in-season, which he has maintained since arriving in the desert. Nevertheless, the Coyotes’ acquisition could make them the favorite to win the Pacific Division this year as they pursue the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.

Ilya Kovalchuk Leaves Kings: Veteran Ilya Kovalchuk is on the move as well, but his destination is yet to be determined. He and the Los Angeles Kings came to a mutual agreement on a contract termination on Monday, with Kovalchuk clearing unconditional waivers on Tuesday. The former superstar never fit with the Kings after returning from the KHL and could be tempted to return to Russia after this failure. However, he is reportedly willing to sign a minimum deal to remain in the NHL as he too is pursuing his first Stanley Cup, without much time left in his lengthy career.

Eric Comrie, Stefan Noesen Claimed: Three players entered the waiver wire on Wednesday and two emerged on new teams. Both goaltender Eric Comrie and forward Stefan Noesen were claimed on waivers. For Comrie, he returns to the Winnipeg Jets, the team with which he began the season, after making stops with the Arizona Coyotes and Detroit Red Wings. Meanwhile, Noesen only signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins a few weeks ago, but is already on the move to the San Jose Sharks. Austin Czarnik, the most accomplished player waived on Wednesday, but also the most expensive, was not claimed and remains with the Calgary Flames.

The Injury Bug Bites: Injuries are not exactly an uncommon occurrence in the NHL, but this week in particular took a heavy toll across the league. Just how bad was it? Here is the list of players who were announced this week as being out long-term: Josh Anderson, Danny DeKeyser, Troy Terry, Derek Grant, Andrew Peeke, Ryan Murray, Darcy Kuemper, Jason Zucker, Josh Leivo, Brandon Saad, Cal Clutterbuck, Anthony Mantha, and Oliver Bjorkstrand.

Chris Snow Diagnosed With ALS: Calgary Flames Assistant General Manager Chris Snow has been diagnosed with ALS, as disclosed by his wife in a public letter. As Snow begins this difficult battle, we here at PHR wish he and his family the best this holiday season.

Danny DeKeyser To Undergo Surgery

December 17, 2019 at 10:34 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 4 Comments

The Detroit Red Wings’ season isn’t going well, and it’s getting even worse. Head coach Jeff Blashill told reporters including Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press that Danny DeKeyser is going to have back surgery and could miss the rest of the season. DeKeyser has already been out since October 22nd, with only eight games played.

While the Red Wings are obviously looking forward to the draft lottery already, they also need to ice a team each night and losing an entire season does nothing to help the value of an asset. DeKeyser, 29, was still that despite a contract that stretches through the 2021-22 season and carries a cap hit of $5MM.

The left-handed defenseman has dealt with injuries in each of the previous two seasons, but still logged more than 20 minutes a night for the Red Wings whenever he was in the lineup. That kind of stable, two-way presence is still valuable around the league, but he would obviously have to be healthy enough to contribute in order for anyone to be after him.

In his absence, the Red Wings have tried giving younger players more responsibility but many have struggled to make a big impact. Hopefully DeKeyser will be able to return in the future, but for now it looks like the blue line in Detroit is wide open.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Detroit Red Wings

December 14, 2019 at 8:56 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 8 Comments

As the holiday season approaches, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season heads past the one-quarter mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Detroit Red Wings.

What are the Red Wings most thankful for?

Very little has gone right for Detroit this season as the team finds itself dead last in the league, four points out of 30th place and nine points out of 29th place, suggesting the team is likely to land another significant lottery in June. And while none of that is worthy of being thankful for, Detroit’s general manager Steve Yzerman, is eager to complete the team’s rebuild and likely has no qualms about seeing this franchise at the bottom in hopes of completely rebuilding the franchise up. It has plenty of complementary pieces and several players who could be stars, but a picking up a franchise player in a stacked draft might be the most valuable piece to this franchise.

Who are the Red Wings most thankful for?

Anthony Mantha.

Mantha missed eight games with a knee injury, returning today, but continues to be the team’s leading scorer with 12 goals and 23 points this season, which puts him on pace for almost a goal per game. After posting 48 points for the past two seasons, Mantha looks ready for a potential breakout season if he can remain healthy. He is third on the team among forwards in TOI, averaging 18:54 and looks to have taken his game to another level this year.

Considering that Dylan Larkin has seen a slight decline in his play so far, the team should be thankful that Mantha continues to improve season after season.

What would the Red Wings be even more thankful for?

Defense.

Detroit has struggled defensively this season with injuries as the team has been without several of their veteran blueliners for chunks of the season already. Other than Filip Hronek, the defense has looked to be in serious trouble. Danny DeKeyser has missed all but eight games so far this season. Trevor Daley has missed 20 games, Mike Green has missed eight games and isn’t the same player he once was, while Jonathan Ericsson has been waived and used just eight times this season. Even Dennis Cholowski has failed to live up to expectations this year and has been sent to the AHL as well.

The team needs the defense to get healthy and more importantly, they need some of their young blueliners to take that next step and provide some defense to give the team a chance.

What should be on the Red Wings’ Holiday Wish List?

Goaltending.

The teams goaltending has hit some hard times. The star of the team is Jonathan Bernier, who is boasting a 3.34 GAA and a .890 save percentage in 20 appearances. And yes, that’s the best of the bunch. 35-year-old Jimmy Howard, who is currently out with a strained groin, is struggling even worse with a 3.94 GAA and a .887 save percentage in just eight appearances. The team did add Eric Comrie to the team in a trade with Arizona. However, so far there hasn’t been any indication that he’s the answer in two appearances, although it’s still early.

Unfortunately, the team may not find the answer during the holidays. They may be more likely to fix that problem by making a big splash in the free agent market this summer when some interesting names might be available, including Washington’s Braden Holtby, Jacob Markstrom, Robin Lehner amongst others.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Luke Glendening Out Two To Four Weeks

October 25, 2019 at 10:58 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

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.

Injury Updates: Patrick, Vilardi, DeKeyser

October 23, 2019 at 6:59 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Flyers center Nolan Patrick is getting closer to a return to the lineup as Sam Carchidi of The Philadelphia Inquirer notes that the youngster participated in practice in full with the team on Wednesday. However, head coach Alain Vigneault was quick to caution that he’ll need more than a few skates with the team before getting clearance to play after missing the entire season so far with a migraine disorder. Accordingly, he’s still probably at least a week away from returning although the fact that he has progressed to practices over light morning skates is promising. Patrick is still exempt from waivers until he plays in his ninth NHL game this season so considering how long he has missed, a stint in the minors to work off some rust is a distinct possibility while it would also allow Philadelphia to bank a bit of much-needed cap space.

Other injury notes from around the league:

Kings prospect Gabriel Vilardi returned to the ice for the first time on Tuesday as he tries to work his way back from continued back trouble, reports Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. The injury limited him to just four games on an AHL conditioning stint last season and limited him in his post-draft year as well. The 2017 first-round pick is expected to be evaluated at the end of the week and on a week-by-week basis after that. It still sounds as if he’s a long way from returning but getting back on the ice is a start.
Red Wings defenseman Danny DeKeyser missed the final few minutes of Detroit’s last game on Tuesday with an undisclosed injury and it will hold him out of tonight’s game at the very least. Dana Wakiji of the Red Wings’ team site mentions (Twitter link) that the blueliner has left the team to return to Detroit for further evaluation. DeKeyser is second on the team in average ice time per game as he checks in at 22:04 per night.

Atlantic Notes: Muzzin, Canadiens, Red Wings

October 16, 2019 at 8:57 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

While Jake Muzzin fit in nicely with the Maple Leafs last season and is off to a good start in 2019-20, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic mentioned in an appearance on TSN’s Insider Trading that there have been no discussions about a possible contract extension yet. Toronto has a trio of notable pending UFAs on the back end with offseason acquisitions Tyson Barrie and Cody Ceci and with their salary cap situation, there’s no way they’ll be able to keep all three around. LeBrun suggests that the plan may be to evaluate how each one performs over the first few months of the season before deciding who to try to extend. Muzzin carries a $4MM cap hit and will undoubtedly be seeking a sizable raise on that for his next contract. Meanwhile, Barrie is at $5.5MM (only half of which Toronto is covering) while Ceci checks in at $4.5MM. The Leafs already have more than $65MM in commitments to just 11 players for 2020-21.

Red Wings Not Planning Buyouts, Hoping To Re-Sign Kronwall, Witkowski

June 13, 2019 at 7:39 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 5 Comments

Detroit may have a new GM, but that doesn’t mean they’re looking to clean house. Quite the opposite in fact, according to Steve Yzerman. The Detroit News’ Ted Kulfan relays the news that the Red Wings are not planning to buy out any of their current players this off-season. For a roster with plenty of unwieldy contracts, that comes as a surprise. But that’s not all -Kulfan adds that the team also hopes to re-sign 38-year-old defenseman Niklas Kronwall and versatile depth piece Luke Witkowski.

The Red Wings are heading into the off-season with a projected $13.7MM in cap space and no key players in need of new contracts. That gives Yzerman and company some wiggle room to bring back a couple impending free agents and also spend on the market. Yet, the team could have opened up even more room, to drastically improve a roster that finished eight games under .500, by not extending any free agents and buying out expensive players with little production, such as Jonathan Ericsson, Trevor Daley, Darren Helm, or even a bigger move like Justin Abdelkader or Danny DeKeyser. Instead, it seems the whole team will return, barring a trade, as Yzerman does not plan to utilize a buyout.

On top of that, Yzerman also hopes to bring back two players that fans may not have expected. Kronwall was still productive last season, leading all Red Wings defensemen with 27 points. Yet, the aging veteran has also clearly lost a step and many assumed he would move on amidst what was expected to be a youth movement in Detroit. Not so fast, as Yzerman would like to have the respected defender back. In fact, it’s Kronwall who is still undecided about whether or not to continue his career. As for Witkowski, the defenseman – and occasional forward – played in only 34 games this year and recorded just two points. His versatility is valuable, but his production leaves a lot to be desired. Yet, the team is in talks to bring him back as well.

One player who has not had extension talks with Detroit yet: Thomas Vanek. Vanek’s 36 points were good enough for sixth on the Red Wings this season, but the team may be looking to add a better, younger free agent forward rather than re-signing the 35-year-old. Vanek has bounced around the league in recent years, playing for four different teams including two stints with Detroit, so the veteran may not be up for another move. Vanek’s market bears watching this summer as the interest level, both player and team, will be intriguing.

Minor Transactions: 04/01/19

April 1, 2019 at 9:12 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Welcome to April and the end of the NHL regular season. There are just a handful of games remaining before the 2018-19 playoffs begin and teams have started locking up their first round opponents. Still, for teams battling on the edge of postseason contention the next week may be just as important as any other. Today eyes will be drawn to the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues’ game, which very well could decide the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. The Avalanche currently hold the spot with a one-point lead over Arizona, but have this game in hand on them. As teams prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

The Carolina Hurricanes are just one point ahead of the Montreal Canadiens in the East and have recalled Haydn Fleury under emergency conditions to help them stay there. The team was defeated last night and need to get back on track tomorrow night when they travel to Toronto, but will be without Calvin de Haan who is heading back to Carolina after suffering an upper-body injury.
With Louis Domingue banged up the Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Eddie Pasquale from the minor leagues. The team obviously wants their backup goaltender healthy, but all eyes are on Victor Hedman as he deals with an upper-body injury. Pasquale has played in one game for the Lightning this year but has a solid .916 save percentage through 43 appearances for the Syracuse Crunch.
The Calgary Flames are set to rest several regulars after clinching a playoff spot, and Juuso Valimaki has been recalled to take their place. Mikael Backlund, Matthew Tkachuk, Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie, Travis Hamonic and Noah Hanifin will all be out of the lineup.
The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Joe Hicketts from the minor league under emergency conditions, and CapFriendly believes they have moved Mike Green to long-term injured reserve in order to fit him in. Hicketts’ recall follows an injury to Danny DeKeyser, who looks like he may miss the last few games of the season.
The Nashville Predators have recalled forward Miikka Salomaki from the minor leagues, bringing him back from a conditioning stint. Salomaki hasn’t played an NHL game since early January but could be an option for the team down the stretch and into the playoffs.
With Nico Sturm set to join the Minnesota Wild immediately, Matt Read has been sent back down to the AHL. The team is expected to put Sturm into the lineup as soon as possible, though since he hasn’t yet practiced with the team it is not clear when exactly that will be. Read meanwhile will be on call for the next opportunity as he has been all season.
The Anaheim Ducks have returned Sam Carrick back to San Diego of the AHL. He had been recalled on Saturday and suited up that night, logging just over 12 minutes against Edmonton while picking up an assist.

Canucks’ Loui Eriksson Made A Healthy Scratch

March 13, 2019 at 9:03 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 6 Comments

Loui Eriksson’s tenure in Vancouver has been close to disastrous, but it has now reached a new low. In his third season and with 184 games with the Canucks under his belt, Eriksson has been made a healthy scratch for tonight’s home game against the New York Rangers, reports TSN’s Jason Brough. It is the first time in his Canucks career that Eriksson has been scratched.

To be fair, Eriksson had it coming. While a respected veteran and capable two-way forward, his 22 points through 69 games this season marks a career-low in per-game production, although a similar pace to his first two seasons in Vancouver. Making those disappointing offensive totals all the worse is how much Eriksson is paid to produce them. One of a series of terrible contract calls made in the 2016 off-season (see: Milan Lucic, Andrew Ladd, David Backes, Kyle Okposo, Danny DeKeyser), the Canucks signed Eriksson to a six-year, $36MM contract weeks before his 31st birthday. Based on that $6MM cap hit, Eriksson has been the sixth-worst cost-per-point value among forwards with 60+ games played this season. Between poor play and chronic injury issues, the Canucks have yet to see any semblance of value from the Eriksson deal through three seasons, yet they have three seasons left to go.

The decision by head coach Travis Green could be the first step toward a more permanent split between the team and player. Discussing the move, Green told the media “it’s not like I’m sitting here saying that Loui’s played terrible, but has he done enough where I can’t take him out of the lineup?” If the coaching staff and front office have lost trust in Eriksson’s ability to at least be a positive impact on the lineup, they may decide to do what it takes to move on. The Canucks are not in bad shape in regards to the salary cap, but have proven time and time again that they feel they are closer to being a contender than a rebuild and may want to dump a bad salary in hopes of adding to the roster this off-season. While Eriksson’s contract would be hard to move, Vancouver could sweeten the deal with a pick or prospect or take back another bad contract that they feel would be a better fit. The buyout route is likely not an option; the structure of Eriksson’s contract would do little to help alleviate costs. A buyout this summer would only save the team $444K in each of the next two seasons, at the cost of $556K against the cap for three years after the deal would have expired. As such, the Canucks may have to get creative to get rid of Eriksson. They have lived with his under-performing play to this point, but the healthy scratch has drawn a new line in the sand and both sides may want to end their current relationship.

Deadline Primer: Detroit Red Wings

February 15, 2019 at 5:00 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 2 Comments

With the trade deadline fast approaching, we continue our look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? As we continue with the Atlantic Division, here is a look at the Detroit Red Wings.

By every metric, the Detroit Red Wings should be total sellers at the deadline and they have a laundry list of notable UFA’s to move. Yet, the team claims they would prefer to re-sign starting goaltender Jimmy Howard, top-six forward Gustav Nyquist, and dependable defenseman Nick Jensen. There is also word that veterans Thomas Vanek and Niklas Kronwall are happy in Detroit and unwilling to waive their No-Trade Clauses. That doesn’t leave much on the table.

In most cases, these rumors could be dismissed as the team simply trying to up the offers on their available rentals. But not in Detroit. The fatal flaw of the current Red Wings franchise and GM Ken Holland is total, unapologetic loyalty to long-time players. If a team says they won’t move someone or will only do so for a first-round pick, this is the one team worth believing. It could be a quiet deadline in Detroit.

Record

23-28-7, seventh in the Atlantic Division

Deadline Status

Moderate Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$5.06MM in full-season cap hit, 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 48/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2019: DET 1st, DET 2nd, NYI 2nd, DET 3rd, DET 4th, DET 5th, BUF 5th, CLB 5th, DET 6th, DET 7th
2020: DET 1st, DET 2nd, DET 3rd, DET 4th, DET 5th, DET 6th, DET 7th

Trade Chips

Of course, the aforementioned players are the top trade chips that the team has. Howard and Nyquist are having great years and are surely drawing plenty of attention. Will Detroit get the first-round pick they desire to move either? That remains to be seen. Jensen and Kronwall could both step in as a solid bottom-pair addition for a contender, while Vanek would fill his frequent role as a capable depth addition to any forward corps. The fact remains that if any of these players want to stay in Detroit beyond this season, the Red Wings are unlikely to move them, extension in place or not.

So looking elsewhere, Luke Witkowski is a UFA that the Red Wings don’t seem as attached to. The market may be limited for the versatile skater, but if a team wants to take a shot, Detroit will be willing to move on. Recently waived and demoted, Martin Frk is in need of a change of scenery. Frk is a restricted free agent this summer and any number of teams might like to get a look at how he fits in their system down the stretch. The one-dimensional forward is more valuable now that he has cleared waivers and can be sent back and forth. Wade Megan, Dylan McIlrath, Brian Lashoff, and Harri Sateri are all free agents as well who could be targeted as deep depth additions.

The Jonathan Bernier signing looks like a mistake so far and the Red Wings seem eager to re-sign Howard rather than give Bernier the starting job. If another team is willing to take on the remaining two years of Bernier’s contract, Detroit would move him. Luke Glendening is another term player who could be on the move. He is still well-liked by the organization, but if the market is there they could move him. As always, if there was any way to move Justin Abdelkader or Danny DeKeyser, you would think Detroit would pull the trigger. Then again there’s that whole loyalty thing…

Five Players To Watch For: F Gustav Nyquist, D Nick Jensen, F Martin Frk, F Luke Glendening, G Harri Sateri

Team Needs

1) Cap Space: For several years now, the Red Wings have had one of the highest payrolls in the NHL, yet have been one of the league’s worst teams. That’s not a good mix. The flip side of wanting to re-sign top free agents, like Howard and Nyquist, is that you’re not opening up any more cap space. If Detroit wants to be players on the free agent market this summer, they need to try to move out some of their more cumbersome cap hits if possible.

2) Picks and Prospects: The Red Wings have a lot of good talent in the AHL and some others still at the junior and collegiate level. Adding picks, especially 2019 picks in a deep, talented draft class, is always helpful, though. However, there should room for some camp battles next season, particularly up front, so some pro-ready forward prospects would also be helpful.

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