Defenseman Duncan Keith is expecting to play in Chicago’s season opener against St. Louis Blues on October 12, as he works his way back from a knee injury.
The 33-year-old had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee last October, missing four weeks before returning to the lineup. He ultimately played in 67 games for the Blackhawks last season, scoring nine goals and 43 points, but suffered some further discomfort in the knee over the summer.
Keith ultimately took the decision to rest the injury, pulling out of Team Canada’s World Cup of Hockey squad in late August to be replaced by Jay Bouwmeester.
He has been taking part in the Blackhawks training camp as part of his rehabilitation and logged nearly twenty minutes of ice time during Tuesday’s preseason game against Detroit, his first taste of action since Chicago were eliminated from the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs by St. Louis.
“I haven’t played a game in a long time, like a lot of guys [have], so I’m just going to keep it simple and I’ll just get that feeling back again,” Keith told NHL.com’s Brian Hedger ahead of Tuesday’s game. “It’s just one of those things now where it’s going to be just focusing on maintaining my health and doing everything I can to make sure I’m feeling as good as I can to play.”
Selected in the second round (54th overall) by Chicago in 2002, Keith has featured in 833 career NHL games for the franchise, winning three Stanley Cups, two Olympic gold medals and two Norris Trophies.
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