Seth Jones Is Back To Playing Well After Hitting Rock Bottom

Early in the season, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones had a good start. He looked like he might help this young team take a step toward becoming a winner.

With his current contract, a $9.5 million cap hit that runs through 2029, there is a lot of pressure on him to always be great.

Jones sustained an injury after his good start, which destroyed his momentum this season. When he came back, he struggled. It is fair to say that he hit rock bottom on January 13th, when Chicago lost 5-2 to the Calgary Flames.

There was a lot of negative conversation surrounding his play after that game. Bad turnovers and lackluster offensive production were the keys to his bad play. Calgary even scored a shorthanded goal because of a tough decision he made while on the power play.

Since that terrible game, Jones's situation has started to improve. Last Thursday, he had a great game against the Nashville Predators. In addition to collecting one assist in their 3-2 shootout loss, he did a much better job defending in his own end.

Then on Saturday night, the Chicago Blackhawks took down the Vegas Golden Knights at United Center 5-3. It was another gem of a performance by Jones which played a key role in Chicago defeating one of the top teams in the NHL.

On the offensive side of the puck, Jones had one goal and two assists for three points. He was also incredible on the defensive side for the second straight game. He earned first-star honors for his efforts.

"I’m glad I could contribute in a positive way," Jones said in the locker room after the win over Vegas. "Just make solid plays and be hard around the net defensively. It all starts there, really. And when I have the offensive chances, try to capitalize and make quick decisions. The last couple of games, I felt pretty good just moving my feet and skating out of situations I’m put in. It has turned into some good things."

Nobody is more aware of who they are, how they're playing, and what they mean to the team than Seth Jones.

Others were complimentary of his game in recent days as well. Captain Nick Foligno, who has been around this league and has seen it all, spoke on him postgame as well.

"He’s a proud guy." Foligno said on Jones after his first star performance. "He’s a pro. He wants to be a part of this. It’s nice to see him leading the way. When he does, look how much better we are. It’s the reality of the position he holds. It’s a privilege, and I think he understands that. You have a lot of emotion, though, too. We’re all human."

Jones and Foligno were teammates as members of the Columbus Blue Jackets when they were each at the height of their powers. Now, as leaders in an NHL locker room, they understand their importance to the current situation. Foligno's opinion on Jones should carry weight.

The compliments didn't end with players either. Interim head coach Anders Sorensen had some high praise for Jones at the postgame podium.

"His gaps were much better." Sorensen said when asked about Jones's play in the two recent games. "He was invested a lot in the game emotionally, seemed to be really into it. He had some offensive output, but the defensive part of his game was really good."

Sorensen also said that Jones' game vs Vegas was the best he's seen since taking over as the interim head coach. These are the things, both offensively and defensively, that Jones must bring to the table as long as he's with the Blackhawks. They say that good defense leads to good offense and it sounds like Sorensen subscribes to that theory when evaluating Seth Jones.

There have been rumors about teams calling about Jones lately. The trade deadline is in the first week of March so there is some time to figure that out but teams will be even more interested if he can keep playing like this.

For the sake of the rebuild, the Hawks have to keep all of the options on the table when it comes to their roster. Getting something for him and ridding themselves of that cap hit would be a positive.

After hitting rock bottom vs Calgary, Jones has bounced back in a big way which adds to the conversation. We'll see where he goes from here.

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