Keith traded to Oilers by Blackhawks

Duncan Keith was traded to the Edmonton Oilers by the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday for Caleb Jones and a conditional pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

Edmonton also received minor league forward Tim Soderlund.

Keith, who turns 38 on Friday, has two seasons remaining on a 13-year, $72 million contract ($5.53 million average annual value) he signed Dec. 3, 2009.

A three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Blackhawks (2010, 2013 and 2015), Keith won the 2015 Conn Smythe Trophy voted as the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He also won the Norris Trophy voted as the best defenseman in the NHL in 2010 and 2014, and has twice been named to the NHL First All-Star Team (also in 2010 and 2014).

"I think a lot of things get said about my age and obviously I've had some experience being in the playoffs, and I certainly want to bring as much to the table as I can in that regard and help any of the younger guys out in any way I can," Keith said. "But for me, my mindset going to Edmonton is to be the best player I can be because that's what's going to help the team the most, is what I do on the ice, and I'm excited for the opportunity and the challenge that is ahead of me here. I want to bring a strong work ethic and I think everything starts from that."

Keith was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players during the NHL Centennial season in 2017.

"Duncan Keith was the ultimate professional with the Chicago Blackhawks," Chicago general manager Stan Bowman said. "His toughness on the ice, his leadership in the community and his dedication to the game are a few of the reasons the Blackhawks won three Stanley Cups during his 16-year career with Chicago. He will go down as one of the best and most driven defensemen this game has ever seen. Recently, Duncan came to us with a request to be traded to a team closer to his son, and we were happy to work something out that was mutually beneficial for Duncan's family and the future of the Blackhawks. We appreciate all he has contributed to our team and the city of Chicago and his legacy will always be celebrated."

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This season, Keith scored 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in 54 games for the Blackhawks (24-25-7), who finished sixth in the eight-team Discover Central Division and failed to qualify for the postseason for the third time in four seasons.

Selected by Chicago in the second round (No. 54) of the 2002 NHL Draft, Keith has scored 625 points (105 goals, 520 assists) in 1,192 regular-season games and 86 points (18 goals, 68 assists) in 135 postseason games. He is second in Blackhawks history in games, sixth in assists and 10th in points.

"I'd like to thank the Chicago Blackhawks and the Blackhawk organization, Rocky Wirtz, Danny Wirtz, and the entire Wirtz family for allowing me to be on their team for the last 16 seasons," Keith said. "We had great memories and a great run and Chicago Blackhawks are always going to be in my heart.

"Having said that, at this point in my career, I feel that being closer to my son, Colton, here, he lives here in Penticton (in British Columbia), that was a huge thing for me, and I just felt like the Edmonton Oilers, right now it was a good fit, a great fit, and I'm excited to start this new chapter of my career and try to win a Cup in Edmonton."

The Oilers (35-19-2) finished second in the seven-team Scotia North Division this season and were swept by the Winnipeg Jets in the Stanley Cup First Round, losing the final three games of the best-of-7 series in overtime. Edmonton signed forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who could have become an unrestricted free agent July 28, to an eight-year, $41 million contract ($5.125 million average annual value) on June 29.

Edmonton has the past two winners of the Hart Trophy voted as the most valuable player in the NHL, forwards Connor McDavid (this season) and Leon Draisaitl (2019-20); each won the Art Ross Trophy as NHL scoring champion in that MVP season, McDavid with 105 points (33 goals, 72 assists) in 56 games, and Draisaitl with 110 points (43 goals, 67 assists) in 71 games.

"Certainly when you look at the Oilers and you look at their team and their players, those guys are front and center, so they've got two of the best players in the world in Connor and Leon and they've shown what they're capable of doing," Keith said. "So definitely having those guys on the team, you know when you get into playoffs, you need those elite players to be able to put the puck in the net in tight games, and it's certainly a nice thing, and added bonus. I look up and down that roster and I see a lot of good players, a lot of effective players that we're going to need to rely on throughout the course of the season. Obviously, goaltending is huge, and then defense and forwards working together to keep the puck out of your net."

Edmonton improved a bit defensively this season, allowing fewer than 3.00 goals per game (2.75, tied for 11th in the NHL) for the first time since 2016-17, but was 21st in the NHL in goals allowed at 5-on-5 (116) and shots-against per game (30.7).

Oilers general manager Ken Holland said he expects Keith will play on the left side on their second defense pair, with Darnell Nurse remaining in that spot on the top defense pair.

"We got a legitimate top-four defenseman," Holland said. "I know Duncan's very, very excited. I talked to him for a bit earlier after the deal was made, coach [Dave] Tippett talked to him as well, and we both can feel and sense he's excited for this new opportunity."

The draft pick Chicago will receive will be in the third round unless Edmonton makes the 2022 Stanley Cup Final and Keith ranks in the top four among Oilers defensemen in time on ice during the first three rounds of the playoffs. If those conditions are met, it will become a second-round pick.

Jones, a 24-year-old defenseman, had four assists in 33 games this season and has scored 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in 93 NHL games, all for the Oilers.

"I think my skating is my strongest asset," Jones said Tuesday. "I still need to put a couple of things together in my game to really round it out and become a really good player, and I believe I can do that. Talking to Stan, they have a lot of great resources that you can use to reach your full potential, so I'm really looking forward to getting going. We'll see what happens in [training] camp, but I'm looking forward to going in and competing for my spot and hopefully sticking around.

"… I think I had a first good couple of years (in Edmonton), and last year didn't go as good as I wanted. It was a weird year, I was a little bit inconsistent, up and down in my play. I believe that I can be a really good player. I think that can happen sometimes, but there's nothing much I can do. I think a fresh start will be really good for me and I believe there's a good opportunity in Chicago to become a really good player for that team."

Jones has one season remaining on a two-year, $1.7 million contract ($850,000 AAV) he signed with the Oilers on Jan. 15, 2020. He is the brother of Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones.

"Caleb Jones is a smooth-skating, versatile defenseman who brings a well-rounded game to the Blackhawks," Bowman said. "Caleb transitions the puck nicely with his legs or through outlet passes. He brings some size to our group and we believe his best hockey is in front of him. While he is still young, we see his 93 games of NHL experience as an asset to help our other young defensemen adjust to the NHL."

Soderlund, a 23-year-old center, split this season between his native Sweden and the United States. He scored 16 points (10 goals, six assists) in 23 games for Almtuna IS of HockeyAllsvenskan, the second-tier professional league in Sweden, and had five assists in 23 games for Rockford of the American Hockey League.

Holland said the acquisition of Keith would not affect Edmonton's attempt to re-sign defenseman Adam Larsson, who can become an unrestricted free agent July 28.

"I've been in negotiation with Adam, I'd like to re-sign Adam, I have money set aside for Adam," he said. "Ultimately, it's Adam's decision. When players are unrestricted free agents, they've earned the right to determine where they want to play and how much they want to play for. [The Keith trade] has no impact because we do have [NHL salary] cap space available."

Holland said he does not expect Oscar Klefbom to play next season. The defenseman, who turns 28 on July 20, did not play this season because of a chronic shoulder injury that required surgery earlier this year.

NHL.com staff writers Tim Campbell and Tracey Myers contributed to this report