After 16 years in Chicago, Keith is heading to Edmonton — and the Hawks aren’t retaining any of his salary cap hit.
Duncan Keith’s legendary run with the Blackhawks — three Stanley Cups, two Norris Trophies and nearly 1,200 games played — is over.
But by trading Keith to the Oilers on Monday, the Hawks positioned themselves spectacularly well to upgrade their defense in the post-Keith era.
The Hawks are getting back 24-year-old defenseman Caleb Jones and a third-round draft pick, with a few minor contracts or players also involved but yet to be identified, per a source and numerous reports. The Hawks also aren’t retaining any of Keith’s $5.5 million cap hit for the remaining two seasons on his contract.
The combination of those factors means the Hawks will have much more money, flexibility and available minutes to pursue one of the offseason’s two elite available defensemen: Seth Jones and Dougie Hamilton.
Caleb Jones, Seth’s younger brother, is a solid up-and-coming defenseman in his own right. He played 93 games over the past three seasons with the Oilers.
Keith, who turns 38 later this month, had a no-movement clause in his contract and used that leverage to facilitate a trade to Western Canada specifically. His family and 8-year-old son live in Penticton, British Columbia, and he was unable to visit them this season due to U.S.-Canada border restrictions.
His No. 2 jersey will almost certainly be retired by the Hawks in future years, and Keith will go down as one of the best defensemen in franchise history. His departure continues a year in which many key players in the Cup dynasty era — from Corey Crawford to Brent Seabrook, Brandon Saad to Andrew Shaw — also retired or left Chicago.
This story will be updated.
from Chicago Sun-Times - All https://ift.tt/2T3IX5G
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