DUNCAN KEITH

EDMONTON, Alberta — (AP) — Family brought Duncan Keith to Edmonton after a stellar run as the backbone of the Chicago Blackhawks’ defense. And following a season with the Oilers, family is why Keith feels he’s in a good place to end his NHL career after 17 seasons, three Stanley Cups and two Norris Trophy awards as the league’s top defenseman. Keith will turn 39 on Saturday, and said there's a noticeable change in how he’s felt in recent postseasons. Keith was selected by Chicago in the second round, 54th overall, in the 2002 NHL draft. Keith went on to anchor a Blackhawks blue-line that won the Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015.

Duncan Keith is retiring after 17 seasons in the NHL, three Stanley Cups and two Norris Trophy awards as the league’s top defenseman.

The Colorado Avalanche didn't need to be fully healthy to sweep the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference final.

With Nazem Kadri out with an injury, Colorado's Mikko Rantanen shifted to center to take his spot and was on the receiving end of a few chops on the back of his leg from Edmonton's Duncan Keith that sent him to the ice. Rantanen rose to his feet, shoved Keith and got back in the play. The Avalanche didn't make it through the series unscathed, but with Edmonton star Leon Draisaitl skating on one good leg and defenseman Darnell Nurse playing through a hip injury, they are moving on to face the New York Rangers or back-to-back defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the Cup Final next week.

Nazem Kadri had three assists in a 2:04 span in the second period, backup Pavel Francouz stopped 24 shots for his second career playoff shutout and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-0 on Thursday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.

APTOPIX Oilers Flames Hockey Edmonton Oilers winger Zach Hyman celebrates his goal against the Calgary Flames during the third period of Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs second-round series Friday, May 20, 2022, in Calgary, Alberta. Oilers goalie Mike Smith, pulled early in the last game, made 37 saves for the win and assisted on Draisaitl’s insurance goal. The best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal heads to Edmonton’s Rogers Place for Sunday's Game 3 and Tuesday’s Game 4. Edmonton scored its first power-play goal of the series midway through the second period to send the game into the third deadlocked 3-3. Hyman celebrated an Oilers goal with just over four minutes left in the opening period, but officials waived it off.

The Los Angeles Kings rebounded from back-to-back blowout losses to even their first-round playoff series with a 4-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4.

Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman says forward Tyler Bertuzzi's is Detroit's only unvaccinated player.

Moving on from the past is an early theme of the NHL offseason. Consider it like summer cleaning before most of the jumbling for the 2021-22 season happens after the Seattle expansion draft next week. Vegas is exempt after the Golden Knights rode their 2017 expansion draft to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season. The ramifications of the Kraken's expansion draft sure will. “Once the expansion draft is over, I expect things would heat up,” Holland said.

Moving on from the past is the early theme of the NHL offseason.

Blackhawks Oilers Trade Hockey FILE - In this April 19, 2021, file photo, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith (2) plays against the Nashville Predators in the first period of an NHL hockey game in Nashville, Tenn. The Blackhawks have traded two-time Norris Trophy winner Keith to the Edmonton Oilers for young defenseman Caleb Jones and a conditional 2022 third-round draft pick. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File) (Mark Humphrey)CHICAGO — (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks traded two-time Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith to the Edmonton Oilers on Monday for young defenseman Caleb Jones and a third-round draft pick. “Caleb Jones is a smooth skating, versatile defenseman who brings a well-rounded game to the Blackhawks," Bowman said. Keith has 625 points in 1,192 regular-season games since the Blackhawks drafted him in the second round in 2002.

The Chicago Blackhawks have traded two-time Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith to the Edmonton Oilers for young defenseman Caleb Jones and a third-round draft pick.

FILE - In this June 15, 2015, file photo, Chicago Blackhawks' goalie Corey Crawford kisses the Stanley Cup Trophy after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series in Chicago. The past few weeks have seen several recent Stanley Cup winners get rid of members of their championship core. The Blackhawks moved on from Corey Crawford, the Washington Capitals did the same with Braden Holtby, the Pittsburgh Penguins traded fellow goalie Matt Murray and forward Patric Hornqvist and the St. Louis Blues signing Torey Krug means captain Alex Pietrangelo will sign elsewhere. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

FILE - In this June 15, 2015, file photo, Chicago Blackhawks' goalie Corey Crawford kisses the Stanley Cup Trophy after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series in Chicago. The past few weeks have seen several recent Stanley Cup winners get rid of members of their championship core. Hornqvist was “blindsided” the Pittsburgh Penguins wanted to trade him. The past several weeks have featured several recent Stanley Cup winners breaking up their championship core by saying goodbye to a key player with his name on the trophy. The agitating, go-to-the-net winger helped Pittsburgh win the Cup in 2016 and 2017.