Red Wings defenseman Danny DeKeyser appeared on 97.1 the Ticket’s Jamie and Stoney Show yesterday, and he suggested that the Red Wings are not so far removed from a playoff berth as some might think:
“Obviously it’s a little bit different here for Wings fans, used to being in the deep playoff runs. But the last couple years haven’t gone our way,” he told the Jamie and Stoney Show on 97.1 The Ticket. “We got a great youth movement coming in here, a lot of good talent. Larks, Double-A, Mantha, Bertuzzi, a lot of good young players.
“We’re trying to get back into the playoffs, and I think we have a team that can do it. It’s just about being consistent every night. We see flashes throughout the season at some points and then at other points, for whatever reason, we don’t have it. For us to get back into the playoffs, we’re going to have to be at the top of our game every night.”
While the Wings finished third to last in the East last season, 24 points out of a playoff spot, they did make strides. Led by the core of forwards DeKeyser mentioned, they proved capable of hanging with some of the best teams in the league.
They showed a sense of resiliency that wasn’t so evident the couple years prior.
“I agree,” DeKeyser said. “I think a lot of that is having younger guys on the team who are coming in with a fire under them and trying to make an impression on the staff and the coaches. It’s always good when young players have that fight and have that energy, because I think it pushes everybody to be a little bit better as well.”
Here’s the interview:
