The Columbus Blue Jackets have dealt Seth Jones to the Chicago Blackhawks. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that defenseman Adam Boqvist is part of the return to Columbus. TSN’s Darren Dreger is reporting that the Blackhawks are also signing Jones to an eight-year extension worth $9.5M per season. It’s also being reported from multiple sources that Columbus is receiving Chicago’s first-round draft choice this year (12th overall), while sending this year’s 32nd overall pick back to Chicago along with a sixth-round pick in 2022.
It’s a new beginning for Jones, who’s coming off one of the worst seasons in his career. Scoring 28 points in 56 games, Jones was unusually suspect defensively, and his regression was a decently large reason that the Blue Jackets suffered the way they did this season. It remains to be seen how Jones will fit in Columbus, but if he can get back to his former performance, he could help solidify an evolving defensive core in Chicago. After Chicago acquired Seth’s brother, Caleb Jones, from the Edmonton Oilers in the Duncan Keith trade, it’s possible that the two brothers could form a pairing in Chicago’s top four along with Calvin de Haan and Connor Murphy.
The Blue Jackets getting a decent haul of assets here too. They’ll now be selecting twice in the top 15 picks of Friday night’s 2021 NHL Entry Draft, and they’ll be selecting three times in the first round overall. Boqvist is also an extremely important young addition to the Columbus blueline. It’s likely that Boqvist, who’s seen his advanced metrics skyrocket since his rookie season, will be ready for more responsibility with Columbus next season. He put up nice offensive numbers with 16 points in 35 games this season and could replace Jones as Zach Werenski’s partner on Columbus’ top pairing.
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan was the first to report the trade.
More must-reads: