A major domino has fallen in what is expected to be a wild NHL offseason.
The Chicago Blackhawks have traded longtime defenseman Duncan Keith and minor league forward Tim Soderlund to the Edmonton Oilers for Caleb Jones and a 2022 third-round pick. The draft pick will be upgraded to the second round if the Oilers make the Stanley Cup Final next season and Keith is among the top four Edmonton defensemen in ice time during the first three rounds.
Keith, 37, is on the tail-end of his career, but the Canadian won three Stanley Cups, two Olympic gold medals and two Norris trophies during his 16-year tenure with the Blackhawks.
With 105 goals and 520 assists in 1,192 career games – he has played the second-most games in franchise history behind only Stan Mikita – he will provide the Oilers a veteran presence on the back end, as Connor McDavid and company attempt to overcome their playoff struggles.
For the Blackhawks, they receive $5.5 million in salary cap space over the next two years as they continue their rebuild. Also of note: Jones is the younger brother of Blue Jackets star Seth Jones, who isn’t expected to re-sign with Columbus. The Blackhawks could be interested in the pairing the brothers together this offseason.
This trade comes as the Blackhawks are under fire after being accused of not taking action when a player from the 2010 Stanley Cup team informed the organization of alleged sexual abuse by former video coach Brad Aldrich. The player filed a lawsuit, where he said Aldrich sexually assaulted him and a teammate.
There figures to be plenty of roster movement in a summer which features the Seattle Kraken’s NHL expansion draft on July 21. Big names such as Jack Eichel, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Johnny Gaudreau, Seth Jones, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Rickard Rakell and Vladimir Tarasenko are some of the players expected to be available.
Earlier this month, the Predators traded forward Viktor Arvidsson to the Kings for a 2021 second-round pick and a 2022 third-rounder. Nashville’s longtime goaltender, Pekka Rinne, announced his retirement on Tuesday.
Business will likely pick up around the 2021 NHL Draft on July 23-24, with the start of free agency following on July 28.