Blackhawks, Seth Jones Reportedly Exploring Trade Possibilities
If there’s a deal to be made ahead of the March 7th trade deadline, it appears Seth Jones may be on board with leaving the Windy City.
The Chicago Blackhawks defenceman recently spoke to Ben Pope of the Chicago Times, who reported Wednesday that both sides are discussing potential trade scenarios. He has not formally requested to be traded at this time however.
Jones, in the third season of an eight-year, $76-million contract, has held multiple conversations regarding a trade with his agent, Pat Brisson, and the club’s general manager, Kyle Davidson. But he acknowledged it won’t be a simple process due to his lucrative deal, which includes a full no-move and a hefty $9.5 million cap hit.
“I would like to give myself a chance to win in my career,” Jones said. “I know that the money is not an easy thing to move, and that’s what we’re figuring out.”
The 30-year-old arrived in Chicago following a 2021 blockbuster trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and he’s now in his fourth season with the franchise. But his tenure has been far from smooth sailing.
Shortly after acquiring Jones, the Blackhawks inked the towering 6-foot-4, 213-pound blueliner to a long-term agreement that extended him through 2029-30. That deal soured quickly, though, as he registered minus-37 and minus-38 ratings over his first two seasons.
Between his individual performance woes and the organization’s full-scale rebuild, Jones’ frustration has continued to build amidst an extended stretch of losing seasons. He wants to win, and he wants to do that before he’s well into his 30s.
However, as long as he remains with this franchise, the veteran skater said he’ll continue to be fully committed to his current team, both on and off the ice.
“If it happens, it happens. Obviously, while I’m here with the Blackhawks, they have my full effort [and] full attention to this team to try to get this team better,” said Jones.
In his 12th NHL season, Jones has never advanced past the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and it’s been nearly five years since his most recent post-season appearance, which came with Columbus during the 2020 pandemic playoff bubble.
This season, the fourth-overall selection from ‘13 has six goals and 26 points across just 38 games, averaging 24:38 per night – his fewest minutes since 2017-18. He missed a month earlier this season with an injury to his right foot, requiring an IR stint.
“Winning games makes you feel better,” Jones said. “It makes the team feel better. It makes your organization feel better. You have fun coming to the rink every day. That’s what my goal is for this team, as long as I’m here. It could be two weeks. It could be five more years.”
Moving Jones will likely prove immensely challenging for Davidson due to the length of term that remains on his current contract. But, they could incentivize interested suitors by retaining a significant portion of his cap hit, possibly as high as the maximum allowed of 50 percent.
That would reduce Jones’ cap figure to $4.75 million, undoubtedly making him a far more appealing target, especially as a minutes eater on the back end and someone still capable of providing reasonable offensive upside.
With few right-handed-shooting defencemen likely to be available at next month’s trade deadline, the four-time All-Star will be a name worth keeping an eye on in the coming weeks.
The Blackhawks will exit the 4 Nations Face-Off break with the second-fewest points (41) league-wide, trailing only the San Jose Sharks (37) in that department.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: Jenn G. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.