Blackhawks trade Keith to Oilers for Jones, third-round pick

Duncan Keith Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Blackhawks trade Duncan Keith to Oilers for Caleb Jones, third-round pick

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 7/12/21

Duncan Keith's historic run with the Chicago Blackhawks, which includes three Stanley Cups and nearly 1,200 games played, has come to an end.

The veteran defenseman was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for defenseman Caleb Jones and a third-round pick. The Blackhawks aren't retaining any of Keith's $5.5 million cap hit for the remaining two seasons on his contract.

BREAKING TRADE:

TO- #LetsGoOilers
Duncan Keith

TO- #Blackhawks
Caleb Jones
3rd round pick.
— SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (@SiriusXMNHL) July 12, 2021

A previous report stated that Keith, who has a full no-move clause, was seeking a trade so he could be closer to his son, who lives in Western Canada.

The move gives Chicago much more financial flexibility this offseason and allows the franchise to pursue one of the top available defensemen on the market, including Seth Jones and Dougie Hamilton.

Keith has seen his game drop off in recent seasons with a steady decline in his offensive numbers. The 37-year-old notched just four goals and 11 assists for a career-low 15 points in 54 games this past season.

According to The Athletic's Mark Lazerus, only Hawks captain Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are left from Chicago's Stanley Cup-winning seasons in 2010, 2013 and 2015.

Duncan Keith, traded.
Marian Hossa, retired.
Patrick Sharp, retired.
Brent Seabrook, retired.
Niklas Hjalmarsson, traded, possibly retired
Corey Crawford, retired.
Andrew Shaw, retired.
Kris Versteeg, retired.
Dave Bolland, retired.
Brandon Saad, traded.
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) July 12, 2021