Veteran Defenceman's Agent Confident That He Will Be Signed Before Training Camp
With just three weeks left until the opening of training camp, there is still good options available for teams looking for veteran defenceman. Some names still available include Calvin de Hann, Anton Stralman, P.K. Subban, and Danny DeKeyser.
DeKeyser's agent Matt Federico isn't deterred by the list of available defenceman. Federico is confident that his client will be signed before training camp. The deal will likely be for 1 year and $1 Million as a "show me" type contract.
DeKeyser signed a six-year, $30MM contract following an arbitration filing in the summer of 2016. Unfortunately his play (and contract value) began to diminish almost immediately. He did play a full 82 games during the first season of the contract, but after 2016-17, DeKeyser never played more than 65 games in a season. After injuries limited him to just eight games in 2019-20, DeKeyser's ice time dipped to bottom-pairing minutes for the contract's last two seasons.
Over a ten-year career, DeKeyser has 547 games played, all in a Red Wings uniform. In the most recent season, he recorded 11 points in 59 appearances, while averaging over 18 minutes a night.
Jack Johnson is a good comparable to DeKeyser. Johnson signed a one-year, $750K deal with the Avalanche last fall, and logged just under 17 minutes a night for the Stanley Cup champions in the regular season. That performance got him another one-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks worth $950 k AAV.
Teams are always on the lookout for more experience on the backend. DeKeyser should be able to land himself a one-year deal or a professional tryout contract at the very least.
| POLL | ||
Where do you think Danny DeKeyser will sign? | ||
| Ottawa Senators | 39 | 24.4 % |
| Edmonton Oilers | 32 | 20 % |
| Seattle Kraken | 38 | 23.8 % |
| Other | 51 | 31.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
