Rumor: Oilers Are Favorites to Land Duncan Keith

This just in from Bob Stauffer on the latest episode of his show Oilers Now: he and Elliot Freidman dug into the idea of a Duncan Kieth to Edmonton trade. Freidman said he believes the Oilers are interested in a veteran left-shot defenceman due to the uncertainty surrounding Oscar Klefbom's return. It is also believed that Edmonton is one of Keith's preferred destinations, given both their proximity to his family's home in BC and the team itself being closer to contention than the other franchises in the area. Given these details, Freidman believes the Oilers are currently frontrunners to land the 38-year old defender.

The issue for the Oilers is cap space, as Keith carries a $5.5 million cap hit for two more seasons. This would imply that Chicago may have to take a bad contract back the other way, with James Neal's $5.75 million for two more years or Mikko Koskinen's $4.5 million for one year being the obvious choices. However, Freidman believes that the Hawks are looking to shed salary in this deal, and therefore may choose to retain money on Keith's contract instead.

As for the return for the Hawks, the rumor is that the name Caleb Jones is floating around. According to Freidman, Chicago plans to make a strong push to bring in Seth Jones this summer and believes that having his younger brother already on the team could help smooth those talks along. On the Edmonton side, Jones is likely to be exposed to Seattle in the expansion draft later this month and would be the obvious choice for the Kraken to take. The idea of trading him now to get some value from him as opposed to losing him for nothing should pique Ken Holland's interest. The sticking point right now, according to Freidman, is the cap hit. Holland and Bowman are probably hashing those details out at this very moment.

What do you think, would Duncan Keith to the Oilers make sense for both teams?

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