The countdown to training camp is in full swing with the number of restricted free agents leaving the market for their respective teams, as Danny DeKeyser has now signed on with the Detroit Red Wings, assuring his place in camp this week. DeKeyser signed a 2-year deal, reportedly coming in at a shade over $4.3 million in total or just under $2.2 million per season.
This was the last major RFA on the docket for the Red Wings, who have yet to announce their training camp roster, but it shouldn't be long now, with one of their big defenders now locked in for a couple of seasons.
DeKeyser did turn out to be a decent hockey pool pick up last season, ranking 75th among all defensemen in scoring with 4 goals and 23 points in 65 games and he will be expected to make a push on those numbers in 2015.Projections for the coming season are not terribly flattering to his overall upside, as I only have him improving a little to 25 points, while the Hockey News has him coming in with 27 points. DeKeyser wasn't exactly known as a purely offensive defenseman, rather just an overall, well-rounded player. That should mean he'll get some points during the year, but there is no expectations to join the likes of Erik Karlsson.
The Red Wings did well with this deal, as it didn't put a big dent in their remaining cap space, according to their projected cap roster. With 22 players on said roster, the Wings are coming in at just under $65 million, which should leave them about $4 million to play with, going forward. With that kind of space, they could become players at the trade deadline, assuming they don't have any major injuries to deal with and compensate for with their cap space.
No comments:
Post a Comment