What is DeKeyser's new contract worth?

[detredWINgs]

Probably. But he's been pretty consistently one of our better defensemen since he's signed here.(Not that that is saying much.)

It is saying much when he's been that way since essentially his first game in a Red Wings uni....which was also the first time he'd ever played professional hockey against anyone better than or more physically mature and experienced than college kids.

 

[Frk It]

I think we all overrate DD a bit.

On one hand...

To step in with no pro experience and play like a veteran, with the poise and steadiness to his game is really remarkable and he deserves a lot of credit for busting onto the scene the way he did, and providing a lift to feb defense.

But then people go overboard when they say just because he's young still he could develop this offensive game to go along with it and be a world-beater and "elite defenseman". Despite the fact that he quite visibly has a pretty limited offensive skill set, and brings very little to the PP or cycle in the offensive zone, outside of a hard shot that rarely hits the net.

 

[DatsyukToZetterberg]

He can prove convincingly that he's better than Kindl. So that sets the bottom of negotiations at $2.5 million. If he takes the Wings to arbitration he is guaranteed north of $3 million and skurred Kenneh Holland hates to go to arbitration.

But that is a RFA v UFA contract. You're not really able to compare the 2. What you should be looking at in a Kindl comparison is his 2nd contract which, IIRC, was 2.7M over 3 years.

As a defenceman if you aren't signing a longterm deal, ie: Voynov, Josi, you're going to sign a bridge contract that under cuts their true value, ie: Subban, MDZ. Even in the deals where the defenceman signed long term they still had a lower salary in the 1st 2 seasons so even if he does opt to sign a long term deal you'll see a lower salary in those 1st 2 seasons.

As for arbitration I didn't think players were able to get arbitration until after their 2nd contract but I could be wrong, this of course assuming that their 2nd contract ends when they are still a RFA.