Chicago Blackhawks legend Duncan Keith is set to retire

The Chicago Blackhawks are in transition as was on display in the 2022 NHL Draft. However, one of the best defensemen in NHL history announcing his retirement is starting to take over as the biggest news of the day. Duncan Keith is calling it a career.

This is one of the greatest players in the history of Chicago sports and certainly the Chicago Blackhawks. He was the number one defenseman on a team that won the Stanley Cup three times in a span of six years.

For a long time, he was the best defenseman in the league which is shown by his two Norris Trophies. In the 100th year of the NHL, he was named as one of the 100 greatest players in the history of the league.

In one of these three Stanley Cup years, Keith was the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs. He was the best player in what was a very good Stanley Cup Playoff year in terms of individual production.

The Blackhawks traded Keith t the Edmonton Oilers before the start of last season because he wanted to end his career close to home. Now, with one year left on his deal, he has decided to hang them up. Edmonton made a deep run with Keith in the playoffs but fell just short of the Final.

The Chicago Blackhawks had something special in Duncan Keith for a long time.

Although Keith is one of the greatest players in franchise history, it is fair to be annoyed that this kind of hurts the Blackhawks for a couple of years. In 2022-23, the Chicago Blackhawks are going to have a 5.5 million dollar cap hit penalty because of this.

It is slightly less severe in 2023-24 as it is a 1.9 million dollar penalty. This is tough but they aren’t trying to win anyway. They are simply rebuilding for now so they just have to maneuver this for two years. It was something that could always happen.

Keith’s time in Chicago was truly legendary. To say they got the most out of him would be an understatement. He will surely be a Hall of Famer with his number retired in the coming years. He might be retiring but you haven’t seen the last of him in Chicago.