Duncan Keith is looking to move closer to home, and the Chicago Blackhawks are willing to grant his wish.

The 16-year veteran’s family currently lives in Penticton, making teams in Western Canada a preferred destination. Of course, this includes organizations such as Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Calgary. In the United States, Seattle and maybe San Jose are potential fits as well.

Regardless of Duncan Keith’s wish to play close to his family, there needs to be a fit and willingness to bring him aboard among some geographically preferred destinations. At 37-years-old, the future Hall of Famer is a shell of the player he once was, struggling the past few seasons in Chicago playing a bounty of minutes. Still, a team could value what he brings to the table as a seasoned veteran to make the Blackhawks an offer.

Should the Flames be one of those teams?

After a disappointing 2020-21 campaign, Calgary is expected to be active this offseason, injecting necessary changes to turn the sinking ship around. Although plenty of movement should occur, Brad Treliving needs to be careful to make the correct acquisitions. Another season of struggles and underwhelming performance will likely cost him his job.

Looking solely at the depth on Calgary’s left side of the defense, the team is in a pretty good place. Both Mark Giordano and Noah Hanafin are fixtures in the top four. At the same time, Juuso Valimaki looks to be a future Giordano replacement, and Connor Mackey and Oliver Kylington provide the team with solid bottom-pairing options.

So right off the bat, there is not a current fit for Keith, another left-shot defenseman, on this current depth chart. Now, the chance of Seattle selecting Giordano in the expansion draft exists. With Valimaki possibly not quite ready to assume a top-four role, losing their captain could place Calgary in a bit of a bind, forcing them to search for a short-term solution.

Even if the Flames lost Giordano to the Kraken, would acquiring Keith serve as a practical solution?

The answer, to put it simply, is no.

At this point in his career, Keith is a shaky top-four option on a contending team. If Calgary lost Giordano, he would not serve as a reputable replacement.

What if the Flames did not lose their captain in the expansion draft? Does adding Keith for veteran depth on the bottom-pairing make sense?

Again, no.

As we all know, Treliving has his work cut out for him this offseason. He needs all the cap space and assets possible to make needle-moving acquisitions. Acquiring a well-known player such as Keith would provide publicity and fan-fare but would likely do little to improve the on-ice product.

If Calgary addresses the defense this offseason, which they should, it should be on the right side, eliminating Keith from the equation. If the Flames were one piece away from title-contention, maybe we are having a different conversation, but as of right now, Duncan Keith is not a player the franchise should waste money and assets on acquiring.

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