DetroitRedWings.com’s Ethan Sears filed a notebook article this morning, discussing Lucas Raymond’s chances of making the team, Danny DeKeyser’s recovery from surgery, and a set of personnel notes. Here’s his discussion of DeKeyser’s health:
There was a point last season where Danny DeKeyser didn’t know if he’d get better.
After undergoing major back surgery, DeKeyser struggled upon his return. He didn’t feel 100 percent, having lost strength in his left leg due to nerve damage that made it hard for the leg to fire properly.
“There was days where my hamstring would fire and my calf wouldn’t fire or vice versa,” DeKeyser said. “Kinda had to work to get everything working consistently together, so that whole chain produces a lot more strength.”
Late in the year, though, something clicked. He began to feel close to 100 percent, started playing better and looking like himself. Now, during training camp, Blashill has been talking of him as a “human eraser.”
“We give up a 2 on 1, a guy tries to go to the backdoor, he knocks it out of the air, or he gets stick on puck” Blashill said Saturday. “Or there’s breakdown in front of net and he’s able to get stick on puck. These are all kinds of things where people have made mistakes and you need a defensive play.”
“… He makes a lot of big-time defensive plays that becomes a human eraser for other people’s mistakes.”
Continued; here’s hoping that both DeKeyser and Filip Hronek find consistent form for the Red Wings this season.
