Blackhawks: Can Duncan Keith pass Stan Mikita in games played?

Duncan Keith has been the Chicago Blackhawks go-to guy for a long time. Since coming into the NHL during the 2005 season, the Blackhawks have called upon Keith a lot. That is why his career average of ice time per game is at 24:57.

Duncan Keith is one of the best Chicago Blackhawks in franchise history. While he will always be remembered as one of the leading members of the Blackhawks core that won three Stanley Cups in six seasons, his legacy stands just fine on his own.

Keith should be in the conversation of being one of the top three Hawks in team history. He is a two-time Norris Trophy winner, three-time Stanley Cup Champion, and he has won the Conn Smythe trophy as well.

At the end of the day, Keith might be able to pass Stan Mikita for the most games played in franchise history. Where things are at right now, Duncan Keith has played in 1192 NHL games. The former second-round pick of the 2002 NHL draft is just 204 games away from tying Stan Mikita at 1396 games. Keith would be able to hit 204 games as long as he played another three seasons.

Duncan Keith is going to be playing in his 17th season next year, and he will be 38.

More from Blackhawk Up

• Blackhawks: Three Noticeable Improvements in Comeback Win vs Blues
• Blackhawks: Key Takeaways from 3-2 win over the Blues
• Blackhawks: Grading Connor Murphy and a position comparison
• Blackhawks: Shuffling the lines to try and spark offense at 5 on 5
• These Lineup Changes could Solve the Blackhawks’ Scoring Problem

Defense is a position that usually allows players to play a little bit longer than forwards. Having a defenseman play into his late thirties and early forties is not unheard of, but it would probably also mean Keith is not going to keep leading the team in minutes.

Duncan Keith is no ordinary defenseman. While he is not getting as many points as he used to, the Hawks are still using their former 2002 draft pick as much as they did in 2010 or 2011. Honestly, it is amazing that Keith is still as great as he was back then.

I think if Duncan Keith wasn’t used as much as he is right now he might be able to continue to be productive and a key contributor for many years to come. With so many young players on this roster like Nicolas Beaudin and Adam Boqvist, it is great having Duncan Keith on the team so they can learn by example and take in as much information and knowledge from the Blackhawks legend before he retires.

"The Jack Eichel situation shows how lucky the Blackhawks are"

Keith just needs 204 more games before tying Stan Mikita. Do you think he will get there? And will Patrick Kane pass both of them up before he is done with the Hawks?