Duncan Keith retires after 17 NHL seasons with Chicago Blackhawks, Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Duncan Keith announced his retirement Tuesday after 17 NHL seasons, during which he twice won the Norris Trophy and won the Stanley Cup three times with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Keith, 38, played 64 games with the Oilers in his only season in Edmonton, tallying 21 points. He played for Chicago from 2005-06 through 2020-21, amassing 625 points in 1,192 games. He played his 1,200th NHL game on Nov. 1, 2021, versus the Seattle Kraken and later became just the second player in NHL history with 2,000 blocked shots.

Known for his swift skating and his incredible stamina on the ice, Keith helped the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015, when he was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoffs MVP while averaging 31:07 per game in ice time.

He won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman in 2010 and 2014, one of only 12 defensemen in NHL history to win the award more than once.

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

He was traded by the Blackhawks to Edmonton last summer after requesting the move, seeking to be closer to his son in western Canada.

Keith was entering the final season of a 13-year, $72 million contract he signed with the Blackhawks in December 2009, which carried an annual cap hit of $5,538,462. Because of the NHL's cap recapture rules, the Blackhawks will be penalized for Keith's retirement before the end of that contract.

Chicago will carry an extra $5,538,462 on its cap in 2022-23 and $1,938,456 in 2023-24. Neither penalty should dramatically impact Chicago's salary-cap situation, as the team is in a full rebuild for the foreseeable future.

The Oilers, meanwhile, clear the entirety of Keith's $5,538,462 cap hit from their books as they approach free agency. Edmonton is seeking to re-sign top-line winger Evander Kane and bring in a goaltender through free agency or trade.