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Done deal, finally: Wings ink DeKeyser to two-year, $4.375M extension

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It took a while, but Danny DeKeyser has signed on the line that is dotted.

On Tuesday, Detroit announced it’s agreed to a two-year pact with DeKesyer, ending a contractual stalemate that lasted nearly the entire offseason as the Red Wings open camp on Sunday, Sept. 18.

Per The Hockey News, the deal is worth $4.375 million over the two years, good for a $2.187M annual cap hit. It’s a nice bump from the $925,000 DeKeyser made yearly on his first NHL deal and still gives Detroit the flexibility to entertain re-signing veteran Daniel Alfredsson, who will miss training camp after tweaking his back while skating.

For DeKeyser, getting this deal done is a big relief.

The 24-year-old admitted this week that he was beginning to get “anxious” about the lack of movement in negotiations, this after Wings GM Ken Holland said talks between him and the DeKeyser camp had “gone quiet.” That said, both sides always seemed optimistic about reaching a deal, and with good reason -- DeKesyer made no bones about wanting to be in Detroit, and the Wings know he’s the future of their blueline.

DeKesyer is coming off a solid ’13-14 season — his first full NHL campaign — in which he scored 23 points in 65 games while averaging 21:38 TOI per night, bumping that to 23 minutes per in an opening-round playoff loss to Boston. He’s expected to carry an even bigger load this season as the Red Wings failed to land any significant blueliners in free agency.