[ad_1]
The Edmonton Oilers on Monday acquired star Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith in a trade to defenseman Caleb Jones and a conditional third-round pick in 2022, a source confirmed to ESPN.
Keith waived his lock-in clause to facilitate trade. He is said to have expressed a desire to be closer to his son in British Columbia.
There were no wages withheld in commerce by Chicago. Keith has two more years on his 13-year contract at $ 5,538,462 against the salary cap.
Keith played 1,192 regular season games in the NHL, all with the Blackhawks. With his departure, only Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews remain of the core who won three Stanley Cups.
Keith won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the 2015 playoff MVP. Over the course of his career, he has 105 goals and 520 assists and has a plus-144 rating. He won the Norris trophy for best defenseman in the league in 2009-10 and 2013-14.
Keith will be one of the best Blackhawks of all time and is almost guaranteed to be a Hall of Fame.
But the last few years haven’t been kind to Keith or the Blackhawks. His effectiveness as a defenseman has waned for several seasons, most notably since 2019. His points per 60 minutes and number of puck possessions have declined in consecutive seasons. His above-average Under-8 goals were the third worst for an NHL player in the past two seasons (minimum 100 games). This season, Keith has 15 points in 54 games, under-13.
With the Blackhawks in a rebuild, however, the 37-year-old was invited to skate a team-record 23 minutes and 25 seconds per game last season. Chicago also had some of the worst team defensive measures in the league.
Jones, 24, finished his third NHL season, all with the Oilers, with four assists in 33 games, hitting a low of 13:36 per game. He has 19 points in 93 NHL games, under-17.
Jones is the younger brother of Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones. The Blackhawks are one of Seth Jones’ alleged destinations, which the Blue Jackets are expected to trade before next season.
[ad_2]
Source link