The Edmonton Oilers will have their newly acquired defenseman Duncan Keith on the ice tonight.
When the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers face off in tonight’s preseason game, it will be the first time fans will get to see Duncan Keith in an Oilers jersey during a game. Keith has been with the Chicago Blackhawks his entire career before being traded to Edmonton for Caleb Jones and a draft pick.
Having not yet played a game for the Oilers, it is hard to imagine there has been a lot of negativity around Keith to Edmonton, well there definitely is some stuff to criticize. To begin with, Keith is 38 years old and has not been as dominant as he once was a few years ago when he was winning Stanley Cups. Also, his cap hit is above five million, and Chicago failed to retain any salary in the deal.
The Edmonton Oilers gave up a lot to acquire Keith, and a lot of fans are upset about that. Now is the time Keith gets to go out and prove whether or not the team made the right decision, or that the fans are right for being upset.
While Keith is older, this is a new team, and his linemate in Cody Ceci has been playing some pretty good hockey so far throughout the preseason. I personally am excited to see whether or not the team made the right decision by going out and adding Keith.
While I understand the salary and the trade being a questionable move, I think the team definitely is going to be better off with Keith on the roster. Keith will be taking on a less prominent role on the Oilers than he had in Chicago, and the cast he has around him here is a step above the Blackhawks.
As a top-four guy, Keith can still be a competitive threat and I think his numbers will bounce back this season. Now, all we have to do is wait and see what happens in 2021-22. Puck drop is at seven tonight between the Oilers and Flames.