Blackhawks Should Trade Seth Jones For Whatever They Can Get

The rumors will start swirling around the Chicago Blackhawks now that the trade deadline is looming. They have assets that contending teams may want as they pursue a chance at the Stanley Cup this spring.

One player that felt impossible to move at the start of the season is Seth Jones. He has a hefty ($9.5M) cap hit, which will be on the books until 2029. For the production that he brings, it is hard to justify this contract as anything other than albatross.

Earlier this season, we saw the New York Rangers rid themselves of Jacob Trouba's contract as he was in a similar situation. The Anaheim Ducks bailed them out to gain other assets. The Blackhawks may be looking to do something like that now with Jones.

This week on the popular TSN segment "Insider Trading", NHL insider Darren Dreger stated that the Blackhawks are receiving calls on Jones.

If that is the case and this report is valid (Dreger is a legitimate insider who can be trusted), the Hawks should be all over it. Getting out from underneath that contract will be great for the rebuild going forward.

The Blackhawks would love to have more financial freedom as Connor Bedard's first non-entry-level contract looms and some big free agents are becoming available. Eventually, they have to start winning at the NHL level with all of the youth there.

Jones has a full no-move clause on his deal so trading him will need his approval but getting out of Chicago may be something he wants to do at this point. They aren't winning any time soon and he wants to win.

For the Hawks to get the best possible return on Jones, they likely will have to retain some of Jones' money going forward. Any way that they can move him, however, is something that they must do if the option is there.

Getting his big cap hit out of town is the actual asset they'd be getting. With the salary cap going up significantly in the coming years, the Hawks should have some financial flexibility if they are smart.

Jones was having a good start to the year before his injury. Since then, he has struggled. A change of scenery might see him get back to a somewhat good form which could help a good team in a lot of ways.

A player who can play 25-30 minutes a night is not easy to find and Jones is still able to do that. If teams are calling Chicago about his availability, they value that ability as well.

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