Duncan Keith's decision will have major impact on the Oilers and Blackhawks.

Keith could change everything.

Jonathan Larrivee
Jonathan Larrivee
Published 1 year ago
Duncan Keith's decision will have major impact on the Oilers and Blackhawks.
Jason Franson/Canadian Press

The Edmonton Oilers have been eliminated from playoff contention after being swept by the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final and now all attention has turned towards the future of the franchise.

Perhaps the most pressing questions for the Oilers at the moment surround the futures of veterans Duncan Keith and Mike Smith, specifically as it pertains to their potential retirements. In fact during the broadcast of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday night, National Hockey League insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that the Oilers had made it something of an urgent issue by asking both men to give them an answer in the near future.

"The Oilers have asked Mike Smith and Duncan Keith to let them know by around July 1st if they do plan on returning next year or if they are considering the potential of retirement," said Friedman during the second intermission. "Smith was really banged up, Keith didn't say much publicly, but I think the Oilers know that both those players have decisions to make and they've asked 'Can we have an answer by around July 1st.'"

While both decisions will prove to be important for the Oilers, there's no mistaking the fact that Duncan Keith's decision is the big one here. Keith's decision will not only have an impact on the ice for the Oilers, but it could also drastically impact their salary cap situation moving forward. In fact it could also have a drastic impact on the salary cap of the Chicago Blackhawks as well.

According to PuckPedia, should Keith retire this summer, the Blackhawks would suffer a massive $7.5 million cap recapture penalty. That penalty would be split across two seasons with the Blackhawks taking a cap hit of $5.5 million for the 2022 - 2023 season, and a subsequent cap hit of $2 million for the 2023 - 2024 season.

The opposite of this scenario is what would unfold for the Edmonton Oilers.

In the event of Keith's retirement this summer, the Oilers would receive a cap recapture credit in the amount of $3.4 million. That is to say a negative hit of $3.4 million on top of Keith's regular cap hit of $5.538 million, which they would normally save by having his contract come off the books.

Simply put, Duncan Keith wields a tremendous amount of power this summer and could drastically impact both franchises moving forward.

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