Hall of Famer Duncan Keith had one of the best contracts in Blackhawks history

The Chicago Blackhawks drafted Duncan Keith in the second round of the 2002 NHL Draft. Keith, a prolific left defenseman, would go on to anchor the Blackhawks' blue line for over 15 years and had a lot of success along the way.

The Hockey Hall of Fame announced the Class of 2025 set to join the Hall of Fame this November. Keith, in his first year of eligibility, was arguably one of the biggest names available for the Hall this year, and he was selected alongside Jennifer Botterill, Brianna Decker, Alex Mogilny, Joe Thornton, and Zdeno Chara.

Keith played in 1192 NHL games over the course of his career with the Blackhawks, during that time he registered 105 goals and 625 points. In the postseason, Keith would paly in 135 games with the Hawks registered 18 goals and 86 points.

One of his biggest goals was the Blackhawks' game winner of their last Stanley Cup Championship in 2015, where Keith took home the Conn Smythe.

The Blackhawks will be celebrating Keith throughout the summer and into next season as they prepare for their Centennial Celebration. There is a good chance Blackhawks fans will be seeing his number retired by the franchise in the near future.

Today, though, as we highlight Duncan Keith's career, I want to talk about something a little different—Keith's contract.

Duncan Keith's contract was the best in franchise history.

On Dec. 3, 2009, Duncan Keith signed a massive 13-year $72 million contract, keeping him with the Blackhawks through the end of the 2022-23 NHL Season. At the time, the deal was the biggest in team history, surpassing Marian Hossa, who had signed earlier that year.

The move was announced at the same time as Toews and Kane signing matching five-year contract extensions. Arguably, Keith could have gotten more money with a shorter contract, but he committed to the Blackhawks, and it paid off.

After signing the deal, Keith would go on to win the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010, before his contract even kicked in at the start of the 2010-11 NHL Season. Keith would go on to win two Stanley Cups, two Norris Trophies, a Conn Smythe and multiple All-Star appearances on his contract.

Throughout the Blackhawks championship window, Keith's contract carried a $5.54 cap hit from year to year. By 2013 and 2015, that was a steal for the Blackhawks to have Keith signed to that number. The deal arguably allowed the Hawks to put together a competitive team to win three Stanley Cups in six seasons, with Keith playing a big role each year.

In 2017, Keith was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in NHL history, and he won two Olympic gold medals with Canada in 2010 and 2014. While Keith would go on to end his career with the Edmonton Oilers in 2021-22 before retiring in July 2022, he will always be a Blackhawks legend.

Blackhawks Chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz had this to say about Keith being named to the Hall of Fame.

"On behalf of the Chicago Blackhawks organization, I’d like to congratulate Duncan on being named to the Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2025,” said Wirtz via NHL.com. "Duncan defined the modern archetype for a complete defenseman. His opponents feared his shutdown defense as much as they respected his offensive prowess. He played with grit and heart, giving his all every second he was on the ice. While Blackhawks fans have long understood Duncan’s profound impact on the game, we’re thrilled to see his legacy now celebrated on hockey’s biggest stage as he takes his well-deserved place among the game's all-time greats.”