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Duncan Keith: Player Review 2007-2008
Fan Commentary, by CDUCAP
July 3, 2008
Most Blackhawk fans understand that Duncan Keith had a breakout season in '07-'08. His ice time and play in critical situations were mentioned quite often on Hawks' broadcasts and noticed by the local press.
Still, there is a misconception among many about Keith. Some will continue to point to his size as a big drawback. There are also those who point out his frequent turnovers during his first two years in the NHL being a hindrance to being a true top-pairing defenseman in the NHL. Let's take a closer look at Keith and his '07-'08 season to figure out what he is and what he is not.
Duncan Keith was drafted #54 overall in the second round of the 2002 draft. He was taken after such greats as Marius Holtet, David Leneveu and Alexei Shkotov. At the time he was drafted, he was viewed as a fantastic skater who was paper thin, short and weak physically. Many never thought he could play in the NHL. Central Scouting had him originally listed at 6'0 and 168lbs. At the combine, however, he was measured at 5'9 and 165lbs.
At his first prospect camp, the Blackhawks told him he had to get stronger in order to play in the pros. He began to workout like a madman to improve his strength and conditioning. Today Keith is 6'0 and 195 lbs. He has been called a "cardio machine" by Savard and Tallon and logs an enormous amount of ice time for the team. He routinely has to match up against bigger and stronger forwards and has found a way to be very effective. A look inside his statistics from '07-'08 reveals exactly how effective he is.
In 2007-2008 Duncan Keith put up 12 goals and 20 assists for 32 points in 82 games played. He was 7th on the team in points and 8th on the team in goals. He was first among Hawk defensemen in goals and tied with Brent Seabrook for 1st in points among defensemen. His point total was also tied for 20th among NHL defensemen. He had a +30 rating which was good for 1st on the Blackhawks and 2nd among NHL defensemen behind Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom.
While his point total and are very good, only when we dissect his stats further do we see what a special season Keith had in 2007-2008. Consider his ice time. Duncan Keith played over 2096 minutes last year. That was third in total ice time among all skaters. He was also 3rd in even strength time among all skaters and 10th in ice time per game and he still maintained that amazing +30 rating. When we look at his ice time while shorthanded, Keith was 1st in the NHL in both total shorthanded ice time and shorthanded ice time per game.
Impressive? Hold on, there is more. Duncan Keith logged those minutes and finished 6th in defensive takeaways, yet was only tied for 40th in giveaways with 41. When you compare his giveaway/takeaway ratio to other defensemen who made the top ten in takeaways, only Radek Martinek is better. The only defenseman with ice time numbers close to Keith's and also in the top ten in takeaways is Dion Phaneuf who had 10 more giveaways than Keith.
In summary, Duncan Keith logged the third most minutes in the NHL, logged more minutes than anyone shorthanded, finished 2nd among defensemen in , was 6th in defensive takeaways, was 2nd in giveaway/takeaway ratio (among select defensemen), led his team in goals by a defenseman and tied for points among defensemen. All of this from a guy who will only be 25 later this month and has a ridiculously low salary cap number of $1.47 million.
When people ask who the top defenseman is on the Hawks, I think the answer is pretty clear. Brian Campbell may come to the Hawks and put up more points. Other defensemen will have higher totals of hits or penalty minutes. Until someone proves otherwise, however, Keith is the standard by which current Hawk defenders are judged regardless of size, contract or experience.
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