He has made it clear he would approve a trade to a contender. Elliotte Friedman listed these three teams out.
Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones has made it clear he has run out of patience with all this losing.
He has not outright demanded a trade, but he has come right up to the line with his rhetoric that the next step is to make that request.
Jones has grown tired of the Blackhawks’ race to the bottom. All the Hawks have done is lose since he joined the franchise. He is not certain the Blackhawks will get back to the playoffs while he still has some good performance years left.
Trading him is not going to be so easy.
He has a $9.5 million cap hit, a full no-movement clause, and contenders do not have the cap space to absorb his massive AAV.
Those are the factors that Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman listed that could make a deal hard to pull off before the trade deadline.
Seth Jones could be on the move at the #NHLTradeDeadline, but there are a ton of variables involved in a potential move. @FriedgeHNIC provides the latest on Jones' situation. @EJHradek_NHL | #Blackhawks | #NHLTNFirstShift pic.twitter.com/wh7O0c2K56
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) February 26, 2025
The other factor is the Blackhawks have to determine if they want to use their last retention spot on Jones. If they do, it is a retention spot that will be taken up for the rest of the decade.
Also, if Jones only approves a trade to a cap-strapped contender, the Hawks might have to get another team involved. Other non-contenders are not going to give up one of their retention spots for a late-round pick.
The Blackhawks or the team receiving Jones might be reluctant to give a premium pick to make that happen.
Plus, Chicago Sun-Times beat reporter Ben Pope has pointed out that in the long run, the Hawks should be fine without Jones. It is in the short term that they will need to find a defenseman capable of being trusted to be on the ice for over 24 minutes or more.
If the Blackhawks trade Seth Jones, they'll temporarily need to find another Seth Jones.
It just doesn't make that much sense for them right now, regardless of what he wants.
New column: https://t.co/EXAxfGEmiv
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) February 25, 2025
Friedman did list three teams that could make some sense as a landing spot for Jones.
Dallas Stars
This is the team that Friedman said Jones would easily approve a trade. The Stars could use a top-four defenseman to make a run at the Stanley Cup.
The problem is the Stars are right up against the cap. Not only are they going to need the Hawks to retain some of Jones’ cap hit, but they will likely need a third team as well if the Stars want to make any other trade deadline additions.
In addition, the Hawks would have to wait until 2026 to possibly entertain getting a second-round pick as the Stars do not have a first or second-round choice in 2025.
However, Chicago can afford to be patient and accumulate more future picks.
Florida Panthers
Not sure how Matthew Tkachuk’s injury would entice the Panthers to want to trade for Jones considering Tkachuk plays the wing.
That is what Friedman is suggesting the Panthers could do if Tkachuk’s lower-body injury causes him to miss the rest of the regular season. However, he did point out that the Panthers could use a right-shot defenseman.
Jones’ playmaking ability could also help make up for Tkachuk’s assist ability being out of the lineup.
The Panthers are right up against the cap too. They also do not have their first, second, and third-round selections in the 2025 draft. They do have their second-round choice next year but lack a third rounder.
Columbus Blue Jackets
That would be an interesting approval from Jones considering he left Columbus for what he thought was a better opportunity in Chicago.
The Blue Jackets are in the hunt for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Friedman pointed out that Jones would have to be convinced that Columbus is on the rise and not just a flash in the pan.
