Oilers: Duncan Keith’s Keys To Success, Profile, And Expectations

The Edmonton Oilers season is fastly approaching. Next up on our list of players to look at is Duncan Keith, the new addition to the blue line.

Duncan Keith has not been the best defenseman in the NHL for a while, but for the Edmonton Oilers he doesn’t need to be the best, he just needs to be someone they can rely on. The Edmonton Oilers have a pretty good top pairing in Darnell Nurse and Tyson Barrie, and with Keith, on the second pairing, they can rely on more than just their top stars.

Keith might be old and on the back end of his career, but I think we shouldn’t call this trade a bust until we watch Keith play this season. On a new team with a chance at being in the playoffs and winning a Stanley Cup, I think Keith could surprise people, especially now that he is not alone on the blue line with a lot of responsibilities.

Let’s jump in with the stats from the past, keys to success, and expectations for the year.

Stats From The Past:

Keys To Success:

1. Play Every Shift – This will probably be the first time in his career that Keith will not average more than 20 minutes a night on the ice. That is going to be a changeup for the two-time Norris Trophy winner. Now he will have to focus on making the most out of every opportunity he has on the ice because nothing is going to be guaranteed.

2. Unleash The Offensive Monster – Keith has not had a lot of offensive stats to talk about the past few years. His best season recently came in 2018-19 when he put up 40 points. This season on an offensively minded team will give Keith an opportunity to score more goals and let loose offensively now that he is not the guy needed to defend every time the team is in a sticky situation.

3. Bring The Experience – Duncan Keith is a three-time Stanley Cup Champion towards the end of his career. He will be a part of this roster for the next few years, and during that time one would imagine he will provide some valuable experience to the team when it comes to helping coach younger players along and being a voice in a locker room when down in a playoff series. Adding Keith might not do a lot during the regular season, but come playoff time it will be a good move.

Expectations:

This season will see Duncan Keith score 15 goals, a number he has not hit once in his career. I think on this new team in a new lineup could see Keith get a boost offensively and I am excited to watch it all play out. I also think Keith will prove his value when the games start meaning more and things get tighter come playoff time. He is a guy that plays great in big games when something is on the line.