More Offseason: | | | Not even two years ago, had a lot of freedom. As an undrafted free agent, he had the chance to pick any of the teams that were willing to offer him a contract. Its believed all 30 showed interest in the spring of 2012 after DeKeyser decided to leave Western Michigan after his Corey Clement Jersey junior year.He picked the , the team he loved growing up and the one closest to his hometown of Clay Township, Mich. Now hes a restricted free agent and his options are limited. Unle s a team swooped in with an offer sheet, the Red Wings are the only team DeKeyser can play for in the NHL heading into next season. That means he has to play the waiting game without much leverage to speak of.Core Values After finishing second on the Red Wings in average ice time as a rookie, DeKeyser has to know that hes not only an important part of the Red Wings present, but also its future. The 24-year-old told Bob Duff of the that he is confident a deal will be done before camp, but the two sides are .I watch all the contracts but its hard to compare unrestricted free agents with restricted free agents as far as rights go, DeKeyser said. I think with a lot of restricted free agents it takes a little bit longer than with unrestricted guys just because theres not much room for guys (RFAs) to go anywhere.It just seems like its a longer proce s.It would be nice to figure something out long-term Avonte Maddox Jersey but well just have to see where everybodys at, DeKeyser said.A long-term deal would be nicer for DeKeyser, but it seems le s likely the Red Wings would go that route. He Brian Westbrook Jersey may need to look no further than the three-year deal teammate signed earlier this summer. Also a restricted free agent, Tatar inked a three-year, $8.25 million extension. Tatar has only 24 more career games under his belt compared to DeKeysers 76 over the last two seasons.That's not a bad contract for the player or team considering the contributions to date, but it's fair for these players to want to earn what they think they'll deserve as they grow into a better player.Another important factor complicating an impending deal with DeKeyser is s situation. The veteran has not yet said if he will return for another season, but if he does, it will be with the Red Wings.General manager Ken Holland recently :"My take is we're probably going to try to do something with Alfie," Holland said Nick Foles Jersey Monday. "He had a good year. When he was healthy, he was valuable."That would likely be a one-year deal for the 41-year-old forward. The Red Wings currently have about $5.27 million in cap space remaining according to CapGeek.com, with only DeKeyser and Alfred son to re-sign.Alfred son had a base salary of $3.5 million with $2 million in bonuses last season. He would likely get a bonus-laden deal that would be prone to bonus overage penalties potentially transfer over to next years cap while keeping the Red Wings cap compliant for this season. Jake Elliott Jersey Even so, fitting both deals underneath the cap definitely could prove tricky.As to DeKeysers hopes for a long-term deal, he might have to wait on that one. Though bridge deals can prove risky and DeKeyser has much potential at 24 years old, its hard to imagine the team going long-term with more for DeKeyser to prove having not yet played a full NHL season. He mi sed 17 games last year with injury.DeKeyser seems to be one of the most promising youngsters for the Red Wings, a team that certainly has needed an influx of youth. He definitely carries a lot of value, but without much leverage besides the po sibility of holding out, the Red Wings may be in the driver's seat here.