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Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones\u00a0doubled down\u00a0on his\u00a0trade request\u00a0on Friday speaking to\u00a0Scott Powers of The Athletic.<\/p>\n
The veteran confirmed that he, his agent Pat Brisson, and the Chicago Blackhawks are discussing a potential move ahead of the March 7 deadline, with the goal of landing him on a playoff-caliber team.<\/p>\n
“I\u2019ve been here the last four years through probably the darkest times the Blackhawks have seen for a while,\u201d Jones said.\u00a0\u201cI think things are moving up, they are moving forward. But I think my timeline might be different than the Blackhawks.”<\/p>\n
Then, on Wednesday,\u00a0two Stanley Cup favorites\u00a0emerged as the top candidates to land Jones via trade ahead of the March 7 deadline.<\/p>\n
The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun\u00a0reported that the Dallas Stars are at the top of Jones’ preferred destinations, as the franchise looks to add defensive depth.<\/p>\n
The Dallas Stars, according to league sources, would top the wish list for Jones\u2014Dallas being his hometown,” LeBrun reported.<\/p>\n
Coincidentally or not, LeBrun followed that statement by mentioning another contender in the Florida Panthers, writing, “Would the Florida Panthers make sense given that Aaron Ekblad is a pending UFA who hasn\u2019t been extended?”<\/p>\n
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman added that Florida, in fact, could also be in the mix,\u00a0noting on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (h\/t Jim Biringer of NHL Trade Talk)\u00a0that the Panthers have been searching for a right-shot defenseman all season.<\/p>\n
“The team I really wonder about is Florida,” Friedman said. “They have been looking for a right-hand shot all year, and there are connections here. Bill Zito Columbus, right?<\/p>\n
“Also, if Matthew Tkachuk is out for the regular season and we\u2019re still waiting for them to update his timeline, then they can do it. So, to me, I see a hockey fit, a personal fit, and potentially a cap fit there, at least for this year.”<\/p>\n
Jones, 30,\u00a0carries a $9.5 million cap hit\u00a0through 2028, and insiders believe Chicago would need to retain salary or take on contracts to facilitate a deal.<\/p>\n
LeBrun noted that “if the Blackhawks are able to move Jones, it will require either retaining salary or taking back a bad contract.”<\/p>\n
Neither the Stars nor the Panthers have\u00a0enough cap room\u00a0to land Jones’ salary even if Chicago retains part of it, meaning they’d need to make up for that by sending salary the other way or finding a way to clear space.<\/p>\n
As Friedman pointed out, if the Panthers place Tkachuk on long-term injured reserve until after the final day of the regular season they’d remove his\u00a0$9.5 million cap hit\u00a0from their books, making way for Jones to arrive in Florida without having to navigate any cap-related issues.<\/p>\n
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