Seth Jones & Blackhawks Exploring Trade Possibilities – The Hockey Writers Chicago Blackhawks Latest News, Analysis & More

The Chicago Blackhawks thought their top trade candidate for the Mar. 7 trade deadline was Ryan Donato. That still could be, but Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times dropped some interesting news Wednesday afternoon (Feb. 19) that could change all that. Apparently, defenseman Seth Jones and his agent Pat Brisson have been talking “back and forth” with the Blackhawks’ general manager Kyle Davidson about a potential trade.

Salary Cap Increases Open Up More Possibilities for Jones’ Trade

A memo was released on Jan. 31 from the NHL and the NHL Player’s Association that the salary cap is projected to increase significantly over the next three seasons. With this being the case, it might not be so hard to move Jones’ contract after all. The 30-year-old is currently under contract for a hefty sum of $9.5 million for the next five seasons after this one.

In the past, most teams wouldn’t want to take on that kind of money and term. But with the salary cap changes, this could become more lucrative for contending teams that are looking to add a solid defenseman. It’s also possible the Blackhawks could retain some salary on Jones. Half of his salary is $4.5 million, which is much easier to digest for another team. And the Blackhawks certainly have the money available right now to do this.

Should the Blackhawks Trade Jones?

The Blackhawks might have the money to retain salary on Jones, but should they? Taking on $4.5 million for the next five seasons is a lot of dead money, and a lot of time. They have the money now, but they also have a lot of young players who will be needing big new contracts over the next five seasons.

Sure, they could make it work. The salary cap increase works in their favor as well. But it certainly would limit them. It would be a concession that might not be worth it.

Let’s also remember how much the Blackhawks rely on Jones. I said in our recent roundtable that I honestly don’t think the Blackhawks’ blue line is in a position to part with Jones just yet. He’s an established defenseman that eats up tons of minutes in all situations. He’s actually a VERY GOOD all-around defenseman. Not worth $9.5 million, but because of that fans tend to undervalue the contributions he makes on the ice.

Without Jones, a lot of pressure would be put on a very young defensive corps, long before they’re ready to take on that responsibility.

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But if he wants to go, the Blackhawks should seriously consider trying to make something work. If he’s not fully bought in to the rebuild, then parting ways would be the best for everyone involved. To his credit, Jones is saying all the right things.

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.

That said, Jones is finally being open about considering a trade. It might not be good for a rebuilding locker room to know their alternate captain isn’t truly bought in.

Jones Motivated by Wanting to Win

Blackhawks’ fans have been hard on Jones ever since he came to Chicago, mostly because of his contract. Ok, we all know he’s not worth what former general manager Stan Bowman gave him. But that was never Jones’s fault. Of course he’s going to take a mega contract and long-term stability. Who in their right mind would turn that down?!

But Jones also thought he was one of the pieces being added to make a last-ditch run while Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane were still with the organization. We all know it didn’t work out that way. Jones never signed on for a rebuild.

It’s hard to blame the guy for wanting out. He’s in his fourth year on a losing team, a rebuilding team. He’s being tasked with being the workhorse on the back end, with very little appreciation or validation for his efforts. Besides, everyone wants to win. Jones summed it up pretty well.

We all know the whole story and what happened when I got here. I would like to give myself a chance to win in my career. I know that the money is not an easy thing to move, and that’s what we’re figuring out.

It’s yet to be determined whether the Blackhawks, Jones and another team can “figure it out”; or just what a deal might look like. But it’s official now that some serious discussions are being had.

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Let’s hope it works out for the best for all parties involved.