Blackhawks' Duncan Keith Out 4-6 Weeks With Right Knee Injury
(CBS) Blackhawks All-Star defenseman Duncan Keith will miss four to six weeks after undergoing surgery on a meniscal tear in his right knee, the team announced Tuesday.
Head team physician Dr. Terry Michael performed the operation at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and it went as planned.
The loss of Keith is a big blow to the Blackhawks, whose main weakness is arguably a lack of depth on the blue line. An assistant captain, Keith has been the leader of a strong defense for years. Last season, Chicago ranked second in the NHL in goals against per game at 2.27.
Keith was the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup last season. He was the winner of the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman in 2013-'14.
Keith had two points in six games so far this season. He had 45 points in 80 games in 2014-'15.
The Blackhawks haven't yet specified how or when Keith suffered the injury. He did play the entirely of their last game, a 4-1 win against the Blue Jackets on Saturday.
Keith has never missed more than eight games in a season, so this will be the longest he's ever been sidelined. The Blackhawks have 12 games over the next four weeks and 18 games over the next six weeks.
Chicago had already been in discussions with other teams to add a defenseman, so this may intensify their talks on the trade market.