Home is where the heart is, they say, which is an eight-word answer to the question Where is Dan DeKeyser going to sign?
Turns out the Western Michigan U defenceman, coveted by the Edmonton Oilers and maybe as many as 20 NHL teams, decided to signwith the Detroit Red Wings. DeKeyser grew up about 50 miles from Joe Louis Arena, played youth hockey with Wings’ assistant GM Jim Nill’s son Trevor, and has been a long-time fan of the Wings.
So, he signed a two-year entry level contract as the most sought-after college free-agent. Not sure if the Wings promised him a spot in their top six. That’s not their style. They groom their guys with usually more than one year in Grand Rapids, their AHL farm club, but DeKeyser is already 23 and the Wings’ defence is hardly as awesome as it once was with Nick Lidstrom gone and Brad Stuart gone and Brian Rafalski gone in the last couple of years. Detroit’s had an awful run of injuries to their back-end this year, too. Maybe they’ll bring DeKeyser, who played for former NHL coach Andy Murray, in for a look. Murray thinks he’s very close to being NHL ready, but the playoff push is on. Do you want to throw a rookie in, now?
The Oilers had Justin Schultz phone DeKeyser and tell him about why he chose the Oilers last summer and how it’s gone for him this season. I’m sure DeKeyser listened intently, but, again, there was the pull of staying close to home. The Wings were one of the finalists for Schultz, didn’t get him, but did get DeKeyser.
St. Louis and Anaheim were also thought to be strong candidates for DeKeyser, a two-way defender.
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