Veteran defenseman Danny DeKeyser signs PTO with AHL’s Toronto Marlies

The Toronto Marlies have signed veteran defenseman Danny DeKeyser to a professional tryout on Wednesday.

The move comes on the heels of a handful of defensive injuries to the big club, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jake Muzzin hurt his neck after colliding with Clayton Keller during the second period of Toronto’s game against Arizona on Monday. The Leafs are expected to have an update on his condition later today.

The Leafs are already without Timothy Liljegren, Jordie Benn, and Carl Dahlstrom for the time being. Benn is expected to return in the coming days, but with Muzzin out, the team might look to call up someone else from the Marlies to help fill the gap on the upcoming road trip. Victor Mete was called up on Sunday after Matt Murray and his salary were placed on injured reserve, but a five-game road trip could result in someone else getting lifted from the AHL.

So that’s where DeKeyser comes in. Dekeyser has 10 years of NHL experience, all with Detroit. The 32-year-old had 11 assists in 59 games last year, with injuries being a significant reason why the team elected not to re-sign him this summer. DeKeyser had a tryout with the Vancouver Canucks but couldn’t crack the roster, so this is his attempt at reviving his career after missing the start of the 2022-23 season.

If the PTO proves successful, the Leafs would have to shed a salary to sign him to a standard player contract, assuming he wouldn’t sign an AHL-only deal. The Leafs are at the maximum of 50 contracts, making any corresponding move challenging.

Either way, this is an excellent opportunity for DeKeyser to show he can still provide value at this stage of his career. The Marlies play a pair of games against the Grand Rapids Griffins this weekend before facing off against the Syracuse Crunch next Wednesday, so he’ll have a chance to get some reps in soon.