NHL World Has A Mixed Reaction To Duncan Keith Being Traded To The Edmonton Oilers

For a while now, it has felt like a foregone conclusion that defenseman Duncan Keith would be traded from the Chicago Blackhawks this offseason.

It has been heavily reported that Keith would like to play for a Stanley Cup contender, while also being closer to his family – who live in Canada.

Few teams fit Keith’s criteria, but the Edmonton oilers emerged as an early candidate for the likely trade. On Monday morning, the Blackhawks and Oilers finalized the Duncan Keith trade.

BREAKING: The Edmonton Oilers have acquired Duncan Keith from the Chicago Blackhawks for Caleb Jones and a third-round pick.https://t.co/9JsTNeN404

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 12, 2021

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While Duncan Keith will always be a legend in Chicago, social media was kind of a mixed bag of reactions following the trade news.

Obviously, Blackhawks fan were sad to see Keith go. But nobody was really expecting another team to take on his full contract while also sending some pieces in the deal. Edmonton was willing to take that chance.

Check out some of the posts about the Duncan Keith news:

Duncan Keith's run with the #Blackhawks may never be duplicated.
– 2nd-most games played in team history
– 2nd-most points by a defenseman
– 3x Stanley Cup winner
– 2x Norris winner
– 2x Olympic Gold winner
– 2015 Conn Smythe winner
– 7 teeth left on the ice
Thank you, Duncs. pic.twitter.com/zkJvJkfPQK

— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) July 12, 2021

https://twitter.com/dwcprodz/status/1414653534650437640

Chicago Legend

Thank you @DuncanKeith pic.twitter.com/evYFbTryER

— Eddie (@EddieBarstool) July 12, 2021

Duncan Keith, traded to EDM, has put up hideous results for the past several seasons in a steady decline consistent with a player in his late thirties. The Oil are praying that a smaller role will spark a huge improvement – it's a major gamble. #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/28bksotACz

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 12, 2021

The Oilers fixing their defense with Duncan Keith pic.twitter.com/rxsx2YbnHn

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) July 12, 2021

Everyone is so focused on the Duncan Keith trade being a bad one for the Oilers that no one is talking about how horrible it's going to be when Ken Holland extends him.

— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) July 12, 2021

I am not high on Caleb Jones, but Chicago getting *anything* back for the ghost of Duncan Keith is truly incredible.
He may have something left in the tank that public models don't account for, but he's already not playing tough minutes and still struggling. pic.twitter.com/rXBM7P9cHj

— dom at the athletic (@domluszczyszyn) July 12, 2021

Duncan Keith will always be remembered as one of the best players to ever wear a Blackhawks sweater. But it could be a completely different story in Edmonton.

While Keith has proven he still has some good hockey left in the tank, and a change of scenery might re-energize him, it’s clear that his best days are behind him.

For Edmonton to try to shore up their blue line failures by paying an aging Keith more than $5 Million per year is a huge gamble.

One thing is for sure: it’ll be incredibly weird to see Duncan Keith without a Blackhawks sweater on next season.

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