Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press

Team forwards are big fans of having Danny DeKeyser on the ice, because it's hard to score without the puck, and he's shown a knack for getting it to them.

In his second full season with the Detroit Red Wings, DeKeyser, 24, has been entrusted with an expanded role, one that taps into previously unnourished offensive talent. He's the only defenseman besides Niklas Kronwall being used during power plays, and the coaching staff is actively encouraging DeKeyser to make plays.

"We like him, so we try to play him lots," coach Mike Babcock said. "He's active, he moves the puck. We've got no one driving it from the blue line over anybody's shoulder or nothing like that, but we've just got to find a way to maximize - like the other night, we played Pittsburgh, the D were in on all four goals. We expect our D to be in the rush, in on the forecheck, in on everything."

DeKeyser already has three assists this season. He finished 2013-14 with 23 points in 65 games. The Wings have been high on DeKeyser since seeing him at Western Michigan, and see potential in him beyond being good in his own zone.

"He's got that in his game, he's smart, he moves the puck, he skates good, so we're going to try to take advantage of that," Babcock said. "Now he's played 84 games or something like that, so he's a baby."

Defense is a tough position for a young player, but DeKeyser "doesn't have lulls," Babcock said. For his part, DeKeyser relishes the increased duty. "I like playing as much as possible," he said. "I like to play against better players on other teams, because it's fun for me and it gives you a chance to prove how good you are. I like having a bigger role and helping out the team as much as I can."

Fellow young player Riley Sheahan appreciates how DeKeyser is able to misdirect to create an extra few seconds for forwards before giving them the puck. "He's amazing," Sheahan said. "As a centerman going back to get the puck in the d-zone, he's always making plays and breaking out the puck quickly. He communicates well. You put all those things together, and you've got a pretty unbelievable player."

For a team short on back-end production, DeKeyser's growth is crucial. "He's been showing some offense this year that we need to have from our D, and I think he's been doing really well," Henrik Zetterberg said.

Contact Helene St. James: hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.