Hawks Clear Winner of Keith/Jones Trade

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James
June 14, 2022 (1:11 PM)

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Back on July 12, 2021, another piece of the Chicago Blackhawks dynasty was moved out of town as Duncan Keith and prospect Tim Soderlund were traded to the Edmonton Oilers for Caleb Jones and a conditional third round selection.

Keith had requested a trade to a Western Canadian team to be closer to his son. The biggest thing most noticed was the Blackhawks not retaining any remaining salary on his remaining deal that had two years left and an AAV (average annual valuation) of just over $5.5 million.

This trade led to Chicago landing free agent defensemen Seth Jones, who wanted to play alongside his brother Caleb.

Keith, a two-time Norris Trophy winner brought winning experience to the Oilers, an intangible you can't buy, and he became the perfect role model for young defensemen.

In comparing Caleb and Keith's stats this season, Keith had 21 points (one goal) in 64 games. He added a goal and four assists in 16 playoff games as the Oilers advanced to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2005-06.

Caleb meanwhile put up 15 points (5 goals) in 51 games. He is a restricted free agent this offseason and one can only assume that he would want to remain in Chicago to play with his brother. It's hard to imagine Jones will command much more than his current salary ($850,000).

An interesting wrinkle to the trade will be if Keith, who turns 39 in July, decides to retire this offseason. The Oilers have asked him and 40-year-old goaltender Mike Smith to let them know their intentions by July 1. Both of them are entering the final year of their contracts, with Keith at a $5.5 million cap hit and Smith at $2.2 million.

If Keith retires, the Blackhawks would be hit with a $7.5 million cap recapture penalty that would be allocated over the next two seasons � a $5.5 million cap hit in 2022-23 and $2 million cap hit in 2023-24 � because his 13-year deal was signed when he was a member of Chicago in 2009. The Oilers, on the other hand, would get $3.4 million of cap space in this scenario.

The former two-time Norris Trophy winner is coming off a postseason in which he played a significant role by logging the third-most minutes among Edmonton blue liners so retirement is probably not on his mind. Getting so close to another shot at a Stanley Cup has to be a driving factor also.

Keith previously said he'd like to play until he's 45 which would put him in some elite company. The idea of playing with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl has to be hard to walk away from as well.

For now, assuming Keith doesn't hang up his skates, the deal is a clear win for Chicago and a win for Keith as well, getting to play closer to his son.