Ex-Blackhawks GM Smith: Keith was nearly traded for Roenick, Amonte

The 2010s could have looked much different for the Chicago Blackhawks had the club gone through with a supposed deal that would have sent perennial star defenseman Duncan Keith to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Although he called it a "grapevine thing," former Blackhawks general manager Mike Smith, who drafted Keith with the 54th overall selection in 2002, said his successor, Bob Pulford, came "this close" to trading the then-prospect to the Flyers, according to The Athletic's Mark Lazerus. The deal apparently would've seen Keith and three other players going to Philadelphia in exchange for forwards Jeremy Roenick and Tony Amonte.

The only reason the deal didn't come to fruition, according to Smith, was because of the 2004-05 lockout, as the trade market was frozen for that entire season. Keith starred for the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League during that campaign and went on to make the Blackhawks' roster the following training camp.

Amonte and Roenick were each 34 years old at the time and were nearing the end of their careers. By the time Chicago won the Stanley Cup in 2010 - the team's first of three last decade - both veterans were out of the league.

In addition to those championships, Keith owns a pair of Norris Trophies and also earned the Conn Smythe Trophy for his dominant postseason in 2015. The 6-foot-1 blue-liner ranks second in franchise history in games played (1,138), seventh in assists (509), and 10th in points (610).

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