Holland bringing in an aging `winner' in Keith

On the surface, this looks like a large swallow to get Duncan Keith — young defenceman

Caleb Jones, even if he had fallen out of favour here, a third-round draft pick in 2022 that becomes a second if the Edmonton Oilers win three playoff rounds and Keith plays top-four minutes, and Chicago isn't eating any of the two-time Norris Trophy winner's US$5.538 million cap hit.

Keith is also turning 38 on Friday and is past his best-before date as a season-in, season-out contender for the NHL'S top defenceman, but as Oilers GM Ken Holland says “I'm not trading for a guy who's 50.”

He didn't give up Philip Broberg or another top prospect blueliner Dmitry Samorukov to get a guy who's likely going to the Hall of Fame. He gave up a player with clear potential in Jones but one who was scratched for 23 games this season. He doesn't feel he had leverage in this deal, also picking up Swedish prospect Tim Sunderland, even if Keith told the Hawks he wanted to play in Western Canada to be closer to his son Colton.

Holland knew Hawks GM Stan Bowman was giving away a guy who played more than 1,300 games and won three Stanley Cups, two Olympic golds, a playoff MVP award and two Norris trophies even at his age.

“I get that you look at the birth certificate. This isn't an exact science,” said Holland. “I look at the guide and record book. What I'm saying is the players that accomplish — my experience is the players that have the Norris Trophies and they're at a high level for a long time, they appear to be able to defy, to back off Father Time longer than other people.”

“He played 23-plus minutes a night last year. It's not like they just played (him) 14 minutes. My hope is that he's going to come to Edmonton with some adrenalin, he's going to get excited about the opportunity and I look at Mike Smith last year — 39 years of age and the impact that he had on our team. I think that he's a winner. He's competitive. He's committed to fitness, he's got experience. He's going to have a lesser role in Edmonton than he did in Chicago. Obviously, Darnell Nurse is going to take up the matchups against the other team's first-line players, so we think in a different role.

“You look and say he's 37 and he's on the decline. Nobody knows. Nobody knows. We're going to go to training camp and we're going to go through training camp and we're going to play games and games are going decide. Certainly his impact on what he's accomplished is going to be respected and have an impact on other players. You can't put a price on intangibles.

“The cap number is a liability if Duncan doesn't play well. Right now everybody is speculating.

If I could have gotten the cap hit down to $2.75 million, then I give up more assets. You can't squeeze people in this league,” said Holland, rejecting the idea he had the hammer in this deal.

“Analytics can give you a guide. Stats can give you a guide, but no one knows for sure how players will react (to change). At this stage of Keith's career he's playing behind Nurse.”

The proud Keith, who played with kids like Calahoo's Ian Mitchell and Adam Boqvist last year, feels age is only a number, just like Zdeno Chara.

“I feel I have a lot left … once we hit the ice we will see who's a step behind,” said Keith. “I'm not one for talking, but we will see what happens when we get on the ice.”

Holland doesn't feel Oscar Klefbom will be back at all this season, so Keith clearly fills the left D spot. “I would say the chances of Klef playing in '21-22 are very slim,” said Holland, who has had Zoom calls with doctors and Klefbom after his major shoulder surgery.