This post was unlocked on Mar. 2 at 10:30 a.m.
Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones has expressed his desire to play for a contender twice this week.
On Wednesday, he spoke to the Sun-Times’ Ben Pope, and on Friday, he reaffirmed his message when speaking to the assembled media after practice:
“I think I still have some good years ahead,” Jones said. “I hope [to] maybe be in a situation where I’m competing for a Stanley Cup and at least, you know, playing meaningful games in May, and hopefully June, so that’s sort of where I’m at right now.”
You may recall the summer of 2021 when then-Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman was looking to take one last shot at a playoff run. He traded for Jones, his brother Caleb, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, and forward Tyler Johnson while signing defenseman Jake McCabe.
If you’re reading this, you know it didn’t work. Jeremy Colliton happened and the rebuild was on.
‘‘We all know the whole story and what happened when I got here,’’ Jones told Pope on Wednesday. ‘‘I would like to give myself a chance to win in my career.”
Friday, he doubled down. “I think things are moving up. They are moving forward, but I think my timeline might be different from Kyle [Davidson] and Norm [Maciver] and the Blackhawks’. I’m not holding it against anybody and what they’re trying to do here, but sometimes it’s not in everyone’s plans.”
The toothpaste is out of the tube.
The cat is out of the bag.
The can of worms has been opened.
Whichever cliche you prefer, that’s where we’re at, and while Jones’ contract, which carries a $9.5 AAV cap hit until 2029-30, will be difficult to move, it has to happen, and the sooner, the better.
This is not ideal for Davidson, who tends to operate in the shadows. Unlike his predecessor, very few Blackhawks rumors are floated, which gives the GM an edge in negotiations. If the whole league knows he has to, or wants to, make a move, then in theory, he won’t get as much back in return.
Jones going public puts Davidson in a bad spot, and while the defenseman didn’t demand to be traded immediately, this puts undue urgency on a move.
As much as Blackhawks fans seem to dislike Jones and/or his deal, the Blackhawks had no need to rush to move out their top defenseman. He’s an asset to the team, and Chicago has plenty of cap space.
The parties could have operated behind closed doors and reached the same conclusion, but now, every time Jones speaks, he’ll have to comment on the trade. Every time he has a subpar game, his dedication to the team will be questioned. And while he promised to “…give 100 percent effort, and max every night,” how can he not be just a little checked out when he knows his days in town are numbered?
Further, how can his teammates and coaches trust that he’s fully invested while he’s here?
“He’s a pro…he’s well-liked in the room, so I don’t see any issue there,” interim head coach Anders Sörensen said after practice Friday.
That’s easy to say now, fresh off a two-week break, refreshed, but if there’s a play where Jones turns the puck over or doesn’t finish a check with enough gusto, doubt will begin to set in on the ice and behind the bench.
I’ve long been a Seth Jones defender, but he should have handled this better. That said, he’s not dumb. Perhaps he felt things weren’t moving quickly enough, and this was the best play he and his team had to light a fire under the GM.
I hope Davidson stands strong and doesn’t just placate Jones to placate him, but with things going public, Davidson now has to weigh patience and waiting for the right deal against ending a tumultuous situation. This is where he’ll have to lean on the coaching staff and trusted players for intel on how things are going.
I take Jones at his word that he’ll give everything he has while he’s here, but subconsciously, that can only go on so long once he’s mentally moved on.
Davidson has a few options regarding Jones. While it’s hard to predict what kind of trade value Jones has with the cap going up significantly over the next few seasons, Davidson can either dump the full or majority of $9.5 million for lottery tickets or get a significant asset back for retaining 50% of Jones’ deal.
Jones is a bargain to any team at $4.75 million. If the Hawks are going to have $4.75 million of dead cap space on the books for the next five years, they must get a major piece back that helps them now and in the future. No more late first-round picks. No more reclamation projects.
If a team is getting Jones for 50% off, it better cost them.
