Oilers: What to think of a potential Duncan Keith trade to Edmonton

Earlier this week there were rumblings about Duncan Keith wanting out of Chicago, and one potential place that could put him is in Edmonton with the Oilers. Would that be the best move for the Edmonton Oilers?

The Edmonton Oilers are just a few pieces away from going on a deep playoff run, could Keith help put the team over the edge?

I have to address the situation I am in right now. While serving as site expert here at Oil On Whyte, I also am site expert at Blackhawk Up, the Blackhawks fan site. When talking about anything with either team I always do my best to not bring my passion for the other team in to cloud my thoughts.

The last thing Oilers fans want to hear about is how good Duncan Keith actually is, and the last thing Blackhawks fans want to hear about is how Chicago is going to have to throw in a couple of sweeteners to trade away one of their best defensemen in franchise history.

Today the lines merge a little bit as we talk about a potential trade for Duncan Keith. Keith’s numbers are not as great as they once were, he is not the Norris Trophy candidate that fans around the league used to see. Instead, he has been the backbone of a bad Blackhawks blue line for five years now.

Keith might be 37 years old, soon to be 38, but he is still leading the Blackhawks blue line, and he would be a great piece in any team’s top four. Just take a look at his career numbers thus far:

The Edmonton Oilers have a pretty good blue line already. With Darnell Nurse, Ethan Bear, and hopefully Adam Larsson back again next season the team is looking good. But throwing in Duncan Keith will only make things more interesting.

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If you drop Duncan Keith on a team contending for the playoffs I guarantee he puts up more points. Keith is a Conn Smythe Trophy winner and someone who is driven to win. While he might be 37 years old, adding a guy like Duncan Keith makes the blueline that much better.

Now here is where things get interesting. A potential trade between these two teams is not going to be easy. Chicago is not going to want to give up too much while trading away arguably one of the best defensemen in franchise history. On the other hand, Edmonton probably won’t want to take on a 5.5 million dollar contract.

The best workaround would be for Chicago to add Mikko Koskinen in the trade or for them to retain a little over a million of his salary. Edmonton does have the cap space to add a guy like Keith. While I think they need to address their bottom six more than their defense, if Oscar Klefbom is not coming back for next season then adding Keith would provide a lot of comfort to the blue line.

Duncan Keith would be a great player on the Oilers. He would provide some stability to the blue line and alleviate some of the pressure from Darnell Nurse every night. Plus if on as good of an offensive team as Edmonton is, I bet Keith’s numbers go up again.

Only time will tell whether or not the Blackhawks actually trade Duncan Keith, as a Blackhawks fan I hope no trade occurs, but it definitely could make some sense for Edmonton to make a phone call or two.

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