Seth Jones-to-Blackhawks considered one of NHL's worst recent trade fails
When the Chicago Blackhawks traded for former No. 4 overall pick Seth Jones in July 2021, many believed he was the player who was going bring the chastened franchise back to prominence.
But in his two seasons in Chicago, Jones has been anything but the franchise-changer he was expected to be. Which is why Bleacher Report’s Lyle Richardson recently called the Jones acquisition one of the five worst trade fails that will haunt the Blackhawks next season.
“Acquiring the defenseman was not the right move for Chicago,” Richardson wrote. “Now in the middle of a rebuild, their former GM has saddled them with a contract that could become burdensome over its remaining tenure. Chicago can afford to carry Jones' hefty contract for now, but his $9.5 million cap hit will become a drain on their payroll as their promising young players improve and end up costing more to re-sign. By the time they're a playoff club again in four or five years, Jones will be in his early-30s and approaching the decline of his career.”
It wasn’t just that the Blackhawks gave up a lot to get Jones — they sent defensive prospect Adam Boqvist, the No. 8 overall pick in 2018, plus first- and second-round picks in 2021 and a first-round pick in 2022 to Columbus — it was that they immediately signed him to a massive eight-year, $76 million contract extension with a full no-trade clause.
Unless Jones waives his NTC to move to another team of his choosing, Chicago is tied to Jones for the entirety of his contract. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets turned Chicago’s picks into David Jiricek — the team’s No. 1-ranked prospect according to the Athletic — plus former No. 12 overall pick Cole Sillinger and 25-year-old defenseman Jake Bean. Boqvist, Sillinger and Bean are all full-time NHLers on Columbus’ roster.
Chicago has spent the last two seasons cleaning house in anticipation for its rebuild. The team shipped out Kirby Dach, Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane for draft picks and cap-space flexibility. And now, it just seems foolish to pay $9.5 million per year to a 28-year-old defenseman who will be on the backend of his career when the team's young core, which consists of 2023 No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard, Lukas Reichel, Kevin Korchinski, Frank Nazar and Oliver Moore, is ready to finally compete.
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