Report: Chicago Blackhawks Exploring Duncan Keith Trade

According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Chicago Blackhawks are looking into trading veteran defenseman Duncan Keith.

There are rumblings Chicago is working on a potential Duncan Keith trade to either the Pacific Northwest or Western Canada. Word is Keith and team are working together to get him to a place he wants to go. We will see where this goes.

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 30, 2021

Keith has spent nearly two decades in the windy city and considering everything he's done for the team and the community, it makes sense they are mutually working it out. Having him a part of the leadership group for the Seattle Kraken would be an interesting option. Keith is from 'out west' in Canada and while Seattle's an option, it sounds like so are the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames. His $5.53 million salary the next two seasons will be easier for some teams to eat than others.

Leaving a Legacy

The soon-to-be 38-year-old defenseman will go down as one of the greats in Blackhawks history. His resume speaks for itself and if that was it for Keith in Chicago he played 1192 games, tallied 625 points, 86 more in 135 playoff games and three Stanley Cups. Impressive to say the least. 

The return in the deal is going to depend on how much salary Chicago is willing to retain. The Blackhawks will be a fun team to watch this summer as Jonathan Toews is back on the ice, Keith is getting dealt and the team is trying to acquire an elite defenseman. What a time to be alive for a Blackhawks fan.

Photo credit:  Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports