The Edmonton Oilers have added a three-time Stanley Cup Champion to their roster. Duncan Keith of the Blackhawks is on the move to Edmonton.
The Edmonton Oilers added Duncan Keith to their roster earlier today. This trade has been talked about a lot the past few weeks, but now it seems to be over. While I am sure a lot of fans are upset, and rightfully so, that Chicago did not retain any salary, I think this can still work out for the Oilers.
Caleb Jones never really fit on the team. This past season he played in 33 games but failed to average more than 14 minutes a night. He was someone the team liked, but they were not going to protect him in the expansion draft and he was someone the team could lose.
Losing a third-round draft pick should not be too big of a deal for Edmonton. While this does hurt because initial rumblings for the deal was saying that Chicago would retain salary and Edmonton would only give up a fourth, at the end of the day it is the final deal that really matters.
Chicago just sent one of their best players in franchise history to Edmonton, and while he might be older, he is still someone that can be a difference-maker when he plays in the right role. Here are his stats of the course of his career:
Trade Details via Elliotte Friedman on Twitter:
Keith is going to be a critical piece of the defense for the next few seasons. While he might be older, I think James Neveau for NBC Chicago has it right when he shares this thought below:
I know everyone is dunking on the Oilers for not getting the Blackhawks to retain salary, but I'll need you all to remember this when Keith gets out to a blazing start next season and all the thinkpieces come out about how the Blackhawks were holding him back.
— James Neveau (@JamesNeveau) July 12, 2021
Keith is someone that has been the anchor for a bad team the past few years. Now he can finally take a step back with a different team. Keith taking a step back and not needing to be the guy will allow the team to play him in a more limited role where he can succeed again. There is no doubt that he will be a great player for this team this coming season.
I know that the leverage of this trade was on Edmonton’s side, and seeing Chicago get Jones and a third back might not be the best thing for Oilers fans, but at the end of the day this is a future hall of famer, now we just hope he can be as good as Chris Chelios when he left Chicago for Detroit.