Some bad news Tuesday for the Detroit Red Wings as the team's top defenseman will be undergoing back surgery and may miss the rest of the season. Danny DeKeyser was hurt in a game against the Vancouver Canucks on October 22nd. There had been hope he would be returning soon, but that is no longer the case.
"He was headed in the right direction and all of a sudden he had a setback," head Coach Jeff Blashill said. "From the time he was hurt, it's a huge impact on the team. He's our top defenseman and I think he's a super underrated player in the league. He's one of the better defenders in the league, one of the better guys at moving a puck and being efficient in the things that I think that the really good defensemen do."
"Now we've played without him for a long time, so not having him -- I don't anticipate him -- like I said, he could be out for potentially the season. Not having him is the reality of our situation. So we have to face it head on. It means that other guys are going to have to step up and play really good hockey. Is it challenging? Sure it's challenging. We were hoping to get him back. He was making progress, had a setback and this is where we're at today."
DeKeyser, 29, had four assists in eight games this season. The Red Wings have has such bad luck with defenseman they've used 11 of them this season. There's also the potential of a 12th, Brian Lashoff. He was called up Tuesday to offset losing Jonathan Ericsson to a facial injury.
DeKeyser averaged 22:04 per game, the second-most ice-time on the team. His absence has forced the Wings to rely more on defenseman Filip Hronek, who is in his first full season with Detroit. He has less than 100 games under his belt.
-
