Seth Jones and the Blackhawks are discussing a trade: the defenseman wants to win

Seth Jones has a contract that’s too big for what he brings.

At $9.5 million per year, Jones signed when several defensemen were in what I call the “golden age of contracts worth nine million dollars or more” in the NHL.

And those contracts haven’t all aged well.

Jones is therefore stuck in Chicago on a team that’s not about to turn the corner on its rebuild. And at 30 years old, it’s logical to think that his best years may not be ahead of him.

But the good news? The salary cap is going up.

What that means is that contracts are becoming less burdensome on the team’s payroll. And those contracts that were once deemed “impossible to trade” are becoming less so.

Result? Seth Jones and the Blackhawks are starting to talk about a trade. That’s what Ben Pope, from the Chicago Sun Times, reports.

NEW: Seth Jones says he’s talking with the Blackhawks about the possibility of a trade.

“I would like to give myself a chance to win in my career. I know that the money is not an easy thing to move, and that’s what we’re figuring out.”

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Full story: https://t.co/p9tFU5e6QU

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) February 19, 2025

Note that this doesn’t mean he’ll be gone tomorrow morning. In fact, if I had to bet, I’d say a trade is almost impossible before March 7, during the season.

Jones wants to win and if he’s presented with an interesting opportunity, he’s open to saying yes.

However, he’s aware that his big contract ($9.5 million per year until 2030) complicates things. And between you and me, I sincerely wonder if the Hawks will want to retain salary until 2030.

A team can only do that with three contracts at a time. Doing it until 2030 would handcuff a team.

In the meantime, Jones may say he’ll do his best to perform well, but it’s clear that until a certain point, his mind will be elsewhere. Will it show on the ice?

We’ll see.

extension

– Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh…