October 13, 2021 by Eric Friesen

Duncan Keith played in his first NHL game with the Chicago Blackhawks on October 5, 2005. Almost 16 years later to the day, Keith made his unofficial debut with the Edmonton Oilers.

Keith, who was acquired by the Oilers on July 12, needed some time to find his legs after coming out of quarantine, but looked better as the game went on. The 38-year-old registered one assist, a minus-one rating and four blocked shots in 17:58 of ice time, as the Oilers beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 on October 4.

Keith, who played in 1,327 combined regular season and playoff games with the Blackhawks, understandably needed some time to adjust to the unfamiliar orange and blue.

“It was definitely a different feeling,” said Keith following the Oilers victory on October 4. “But it was good. I enjoyed it, and it was obviously nice to get the win. I felt more comfortable as the game went on.”

The desire to win

Keith will go down as one of, if not the best defenceman of his era. The Winnipeg native has won three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks in 2010, 2013 and 2015 and two Olympic gold medals as a member of Team Canada in 2010 and 2014. He has also claimed two James Norris Memorial Trophies as best defenceman in 2009-10 and 2013-14 and the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player in the playoffs in 2014-15.

In addition, Keith was named one of the 100 greatest players in NHL history on January 1, 2017. If he hung up his skates tomorrow, Keith’s place in the Hockey Hall of Fame would be secure. Still, his desire to win another Stanley Cup is as strong as ever.

“At this point in my career I feel that being closer to my son Colton, that was a huge thing for me and I just felt like the Edmonton Oilers was a good fit, a great fit,” said Keith in an interview with Oilers TV on July 12. “And I’m excited to start this next chapter of my career and try and win a Stanley Cup here in Edmonton. As I get older and my career moves along, I want to be able to compete at the highest level and win. I want to compete and challenge myself to be at my best, and that’s when I’m at my best — when I’m challenged. The Oilers are going to need me to be at my best, and I’m aware of that and I’m looking forward to it.”

Keith is now joining an Oilers team that finished second in their division in consecutive seasons, but only has one playoff victory to show for it. In fact, Keith was a key player for an underdog Blackhawks squad that dispatched the Oilers on home ice in the 2020 Stanley Cup qualifying round.

A veteran of 135 career playoff games, Keith has far and away the most experience of any player in this new-look Oilers lineup. With superstars like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl both in their absolute prime, the Oilers need to go on a deep playoff run in 2021-22.

So, Keith’s leadership, big-game experience and relentless drive to succeed will be invaluable when the Oilers get into the post-season.

A new role

Between 2009-10 and 2015-16, Keith ranked second in the league in assists (277) and points (330) by a defenceman. The future Hall of Fame defender has recorded two 60-point seasons, three 50-point seasons and nine 40-point seasons in his career.

Though he’s not the player he was five years ago, Keith is still a workhouse on the back end. Keith has essentially been a top pairing defenceman since his rookie season in 2005-06.

The 6-foot-1, 192-pound blueliner has averaged more than 23:00 of ice time in each of his 16 NHL seasons. With younger, offensively gifted defenders like Tyson Barrie, Darnell Nurse and Evan Bouchard in the fold, Keith will be counted on more for his defensive abilities in Edmonton.

“Keith is probably one of the best defenceman to play in the NHL in the last 10 years at pushing the puck carrier out of the middle of the ice,” said Associate Coach Jim Playfair on TSN 1260 on Wednesday. “So, we’re going to lean on him in some of the areas where he can really help our group improve in that part of defending. From the top of the circles down to our goal line, into defending areas of the ice, he’s as quick as any defenceman in the NHL still to this day. I think when he turns to get back to a puck quickly, he’s either using his stick to disrupt it, or getting back to become an outlet option for the goaltender, or his partner.”

I expect Keith will play around 18:00 per game this season. Nurse has emerged as a legitimate No. 1 defenceman on the left side, so Keith won’t have to go up against the opposition’s top forwards. This should have a positive impact on his defensive results, after he posted a minus-13 rating in 2020-21 (second-worst of his career).

Moreover, Keith will no longer be the anchor on the first power-play unit. Now, while this means fewer offensive opportunities for him, it also brings down his time of ice. The Oilers will be looking for quality over quantity when it comes to his minutes this year.

While he’s unlikely to live up to his $5.53 million cap hit, Keith is still capable of being a quality, top-four defenceman for the Oilers – and they will need him to be that type of player to contend for a Cup.