Canucks: Should they attempt to trade for Duncan Keith?

It’s not breaking news that the Vancouver Canucks are multiple pieces away from becoming Stanley Cup contenders.

This team is in the midst of a difficult transition, one that must be handled with extreme caution, and will soon be back in a conference with many high octane offences such as the Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota Wild. In other words, having compatible defencemen throughout your roster is a must for the Canucks.

In recent days, rumours have circulated regarding the uncertainty around the future of three-time Stanley Cup winner, and current Chicago Blackhawks defenceman, Duncan Keith. Speculation around the former-Norris Trophy winner started last Wednesday, with NHL insider Elliotte Friedman tweeting that a trade to a Pacific Northwest or Western Canadian NHL team was potentially in the works.

In the following days since Friedman’s post, social media has been ablaze with debate about whether or not Keith is still the player he was in the mid 2010s when he played a key role in a trio of Blackhawks’ Cup wins. And, as a result of this, debate about whether or not he’d be a fit on the Vancouver blueline also came roaring in.

Of course, this all ties in to the big question – should the Canucks be “all in” on attempting to fulfill Keith’s wishes to bring him to Western Canada?

The short and simple answer? No.

General Manager Jim Benning and his front office staff should steer far away from any potential deal surrounding the Blackhawks and Keith.

Keith WAS a great player, and will most likely go into the Hockey Hall of Fame one day, but it’s important to emphasize the use of past-tense here. It’s been a few years since Keith has proven that he can truly play as a number one defenceman on the left-side, and he’s no longer able to log the almost-27 minute of ice time that he used to in his prime.

Let’s not forget to mention the fact that this past season was one of his worst as a member of the Blackhawks, and it’s likely to continue trending in that direction moving forward. Keith notched four goals and 11 assists in 54 games last year, and also registered his second-worst plus/minus of his career, coming in at minus 13.

Keith is also 37 years of age, and still has two years left on his contract at $5.5 million AAV. These numbers aren’t those of a washed up NHL player, don’t get us wrong. However, it’s clear that Keith is not the player he used to be, which should be expected as one inches their way towards 40 years old.

All in all, when you consider Keith’s age, current statistics and limited future outputs, it’s clear that all of those factors don’t equal what his contract is scheduled to pay him.

Even if the Canucks were somehow able to swindle the Blackhawks into retaining part of Keith’s salary (the league maximum is currently set at 50% for a cap hit of 2.75 million AAV), the idea of Keith clogging up a spot on the backend for the next two years is not anywhere near equal value.

It’s also important to consider other important factors for this organization.

Given their current roster structure, there would be no benefit giving up assets to acquire a player like Keith. It’s also no surprise that the Canucks will be up against the salary cap this summer, especially with the contract renewals of Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes set to take place soon, so occupying any of that limited room for the next two years with a contract like Keith’s would be yet another fireable offence on Benning’s résumé.

Of course, some people would argue that Keith is still a serviceable second or third-string defenceman in the NHL, and that could definitely be the case if Keith were to join a contending team looking for depth and championship experience. Unfortunately, the Canucks are not that, and won’t likely be in that position for the next few years.

Given Keith’s declining play, higher salary and poor on-ice analytics, as well as the Canucks’ cap troubles and inability to structure a Stanley Cup winning-roster at this time, there seems to be no justifiable reason as to why we should see Keith in a Vancouver uniform next year.

What are your thoughts on the Keith trade rumours to the Pacific Northwest? Could he actually be a fit in Vancouver? Make sure to drop a comment below!