Two days after hinting at his preference, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones doubled down on his trade desire ahead of the March 7 deadline.
Jones made his trade request clear and aired it out in a conversation with Scott Powers of The Athletic on Friday. The blueliner said that he wants to compete for something more than another rebuilding season in Chicago, thus wanting out of town via trade
The 30-year-old defenseman confirmed that he, his agent Pat Brisson, and the Blackhawks are in discussions about a potential trade that would move him to a playoff-caliber team.
“I’ve been here the last four years through probably the darkest times the Blackhawks have seen for a while,” Jones said. “I think things are moving up, they are moving forward. But I think my timeline might be different than the Blackhawks.
“I still have some good years ahead. I want to hope to maybe be in a situation where I’m competing for a Stanley Cup, at least playing some meaningful games in May and hopefully June.”
Jones signed an eight-year, $76 million contract in 2021 carrying a $9.5 million cap hit. The Blackhawks traded for Jones in 2021, but shortly after he arrived in Chicago the team stopped winning and the situation has only become worse each passing season.
While Jones’ play remains at a high level-he leads Chicago in ice time as the only player averaging more than 24 minutes per game and has 26 points in 38 games-his hefty contract makes any trade complex.
“We decided to get in front of this, try to push the needle a little bit more,” Jones said. “Obviously, this is my fourth year here. I’m not going to go through the whole process when I signed. Just where I’m at, you know, 30 years old, I still have some good years ahead.
“Discussions with the agent and stuff like that have been going on. Obviously, there’s a lot of moving parts to something like this. But it is what it is, kind of, right now.”
Jones did not specify which teams he would prefer but made his priorities clear.
“I just want to compete in playoffs every year and give myself an opportunity to play in meaningful games, whether that’s this year, next year, the year after, whatever it is,” Jones said. “But a team that’s not in a rebuild, that has pieces already to it, that’s ready to go.”
The Blackhawks (41 points) sit at the bottom of the NHL standings only leading the bottom-dwellers San Jose Sharks (37 points) and could explore the feasibility of moving Jones before the March 7 trade deadline.
That said, however, Jones’ full no-movement clause gives him control over any potential deal and Chicago must consider whether to retain salary or seek a long-term solution in the offseason is the best path forward for the organization.
