Could Keith be the next veteran on his way out?
Defenseman reportedly has been subject of trade talks
Blackhawks veteran defenseman Duncan Keith reportedly has been the subject of trade rumors.
Sportsnet.ca reported Wednesday that there are “rumblings” of a potential Keith trade to a team in Western Canada or the Pacific Northwest.
That would make the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets and the expansion Seattle Kraken possible destinations.
“Word is Keith and team are working together to get him to a place he wants to go,” Friedman tweeted. “We will see where this goes.”
The Tribune reached out to the most recent agent listed for Keith but didn’t receive a response.
Keith was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and spends his offseasons in his hometown of Penticton, British Columbia, about 160 miles from Vancouver and roughly 265 miles from Calgary, Alberta.
Keith’s contract, which runs through 2022-23 and carries a $5.5 million annual cap hit, has a no-movement clause, giving him the right to reject any trade.
The Hawks have seen an exodus of Stanley Cup-era players in recent seasons.
Corey Crawford, Brent Seabrook and Andrew Shaw have stepped away from the game, all since December, and the Hawks traded Brandon Saad to the Colorado Avalanche last offseason.
Keith is one of three remaining Hawks, along with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, who were on all three Cup teams in 2010, ’13 and ’15.
Keith was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner in 2015 as the playoffs’ most valuable player.
He also is a two-time Norris Trophy winner (2010, 2014) as the league’s top defenseman and a three-time All-Star. Keith in 2017 was named as one of the 100 greatest players in NHL history, as were Kane and Toews.
Keith, 37, a 16-year veteran, led Hawks skaters in average ice time (23 minutes, 25 seconds) for a 13th consecutive season in 2021.
But the Hawks have been in rebuilding mode — with an eye on returning to Cup contention — and have a several defensemen in the pipeline on whom the organization is high.
Some of those young blue liners, such as Ian Mitchell, Wyatt Kalynuk and Nicolas Beaudin, received significant ice time
last season, and they and others likely will push for more minutes next season.
Before last season, Keith embraced the youth movement.
“I don’t really know what the word ‘rebuild’ means,” Keith said in January. “As an organization it seems like the wording was that they wanted to give young guys opportunities, and young guys have been getting opportunities.
“You need young guys to play and you need young guys to be a big part of your team to have success.”
The Hawks selected Keith in the second round (No. 54 overall) in the 2002 draft. He is second to Stan Mikita on the franchise’s games-played list with 1,192, sixth in assists with 520, 10th in points with 625 and first in defensive point shares with 70, according to Hockey Reference.
He also won gold medals with Team Canada in the 2010 and 2014 Olympics.