Duncan Keith Reportedly Retiring from NHL; Won 3 Stanley Cups with Blackhawks

Duncan Keith, a three-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, is reportedly set to retire after 17 NHL seasons.

TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported Friday that Keith has decided to hang up his skates despite having one season left on his 13-year, $72 million contract.

The 38-year-old Canadian defenseman spent his first 16 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks before finishing his career as a member of the Edmonton Oilers.

Keith developed into one of the best two-way blueliners of his generation after the Hawks selected him in the second round of the 2002 NHL draft.

The 6'1'', 192-pound defender made his NHL debut in October 2005 and quickly became a high-impact contributor for Chicago. He finishes his career with 625 points (105 goals and 520 assists) and 653 penalty minutes in 1,192 regular-season games.

He won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010, 2013 and 2015. His gold medals came as part of Team Canada at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.

His list of accolades includes four All-Star Game selections and being voted the Norris Trophy winner as the NHL's best defenseman in 2009-10 and 2013-14. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP during the Hawks' run to the 2015 Cup.

Keith reminisced about his time in Chicago when he returned to the United Center for the first time as an opposing player in March.

"I'm just super proud to say that I was a Hawk for as long as I was," he told reporters. "To be drafted by that team and spend that many years here, definitely proud of that and all the great teammates that pushed me to become a better player. Obviously those three championships stick out for sure."

His No. 2 jersey is a strong bet to eventually join other Blackhawks legends in the United Center rafters.

Keith's decision to retire does lead to a recapture penalty against the salary cap for Chicago—$5.5 million in 2022-23 and $1.9 million in 2023-24, per CapFriendly—but the team is likely heading toward a rebuild, a process that began with the trades of Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach on Thursday. So the added cap hit shouldn't be a major factor.

Meanwhile, the longtime standout defenseman's next stop is likely the Hockey Hall of Fame.