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The Chicago Blackhawks have had a good start to the 2024-24 NHL Season. While offense has been limited, one player who has definitely made an impact has been Seth Jones.
Yep, you heard that right. Seth Jones through four games this season has five points and 11 shots on goal. Jones has looked better in this new season, and maybe a few different factors are playing into that.
Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson has stressed one thing the past few weeks – shoot more. While the Blackhawks have played well, Richardson has felt the Hawks could shoot the puck more often – and Jones has answered that call.
Through four games, Seth Jones is second on the team in shots on goal with 11, behind only Connor Bedard with 14.
Jones is averaging 25:18 minutes of ice time a night, and the Blackhawks have been relying heavily on the defenseman. Jones has spent the majority of time playing with one linemate so far this season – leading to my first point of his success.
Alec Martinez and Seth Jones have been a strong pairing for the Blackhawks.
While the underlining numbers might support the Blackhawks pairing Jones with Alex Vlasic, Martinez and Jones have looked strong through four games.
Jones and Martinez have only been on the ice together for just one goal against and both are getting shot attempts at the net. Martinez may only have four shots on goal but he also has 15 shot attempts. It will be interesting to see what these two can do together with more time this season.
Seth Jones has helped will offense for the Blackhawks.
From the power play to five on five, Jones looks ready to help will this team to be more competitive this season. Averaging over 25 minutes of ice time a night might seem high for the regular season, but through four games Jones has shown he can make the Hawks better playing those minutes.
Seth Jones came to Chicago and signed a massive contract extension expecting to play on a better Blackhawks team. This offseason’s additions definitely excited the veterans in the locker room, and entering the home opener Jones has stepped up to the plate of taking this team to the next level.
More must-reads:
- Hurricanes take care of business, sign star winger to lucrative eight-year extension
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Carter Hart, others found not guilty in Hockey Canada sexual assault trial
Carter Hart, Dillon Dube, Callan Foote, Michael McLeod and Alex Formenton have been found not guilty by Justice Maria Carroccia in London, Ontario, according to reporting from The Athletic, after being charged in connection with an alleged sexual assault involving the 2018 Canadian men’s national junior team. Carroccia said that she did not find E.M.’s [the alleged victim] evidence “credible or reliable,” in explaining her reasoning. “Having found that I cannot rely upon the evidence of E.M. and then considering the evidence in this trial as a whole, I conclude that the Crown cannot meet its onus on any of the counts before me,” Carroccia said. The allegations against Dube, Foote, Formenton, Hart and McLeod first became public in May of 2022, when reports emerged that Hockey Canada had paid to settle a lawsuit with a woman, known in court documents as E.M., who said she was sexually assaulted by eight players “over several hours” in a London hotel room on July 18, 2018. No charges were levied as a result of the initial investigation by local police, which was closed in February 2019, but the case was reopened after the 2022 report. Formal charges were then brought against the five defendants on Jan. 30, 2024. The trial began on April 22, 2025, and the verdicts were reached solely by Justice Carroccia after two mistrials influenced her to dismiss the jury. The NHL does not have a formal policy for players accused of or charged with domestic violence, sexual assault or similar crimes. Instead, the four players who were under NHL contracts at the time – Dube, Foote, Hart and McLeod – were granted indefinite leaves of absence by their clubs shortly before the charges were announced. All of them were pending restricted free agents on expiring contracts and were not extended qualifying offers, making them unrestricted free agents as of July 1, 2024. When asked about the playing eligibility of the defendants, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has continually deferred action until after a verdict was reached. While none of the players are formally suspended by the league, similar situations have routinely required some sort of permission from league offices for them to play in or return to the NHL. If teams approach any of them with a contract offer, they will presumably wait for that guidance before registering the deal.
Yankees Traded Flourishing Infielder for Struggling Closer
The New York Yankees have made their 2025 goals abundantly clear: They're trying to return to the World Series and win it all. In an effort to do so, the Pinstripes traded pitcher Nestor Cortes and infielder Caleb Durbin to the Milwaukee Brewers this season, adding closer Devin Williams to the roster. Halfway into the season, it looks like that was a big mistake. The Yankees are now looking to fill gaps in the both the bullpen and the infield before the MLB trade deadline rolls around at the end of the month. Utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera was great at third base, but suffered a potentially season-ending injury in May. The Yankees tried to compensate by shifting Jazz Chisholm Jr. to third, but it was clear Chisholm excels at second, and he's since been moved back. Durbin, on the other hand, has only gotten better in Milwaukee. "Over 75 games this season, Durbin is slashing .265/.350/.382 with five homers and elite contact skills at the plate," Alexander Wilson of Empire Sports Media wrote. "He ranks in the 95th percentile in whiff rate and 98th in strikeout rate — rare company for a young infielder. Durbin’s advanced plate discipline would’ve been invaluable in a Yankees lineup that too often leans on boom-or-bust approaches." Then there's Devin Williams, who has been part of a shaky-at-best Yankees bullpen. He has certainly seen improvement since the beginning of the season, when he was pulled from closing duties after a blown save to the Yankees' division rival Toronto Blue Jays. However, it hasn't been quite enough. Toronto swept New York in a four game series earlier this month, securing their lead of the AL east over the Pinstripes. Williams pitched the final inning, giving up two earned runs. He has a 4.82 ERA over 37.1 innings pitched in 41 games. Williams keeps improving, and hopefully will prove that the Yankees made the right choice by acquiring him. However, that still doesn't fill the gaping hole New York has at third base, and they're likely missing Durbin's consistent abilities in the field and at the plate. The Yankees have until the July 31 MLB trade deadline to make any trades to address these issues. Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more! Cam Schlittler is Not Yankees Paul Skenes Yankees Fighting Red Sox for Diamondbacks Pitchers Yankees’ Aaron Judge Ties Alex Rodriguez on All-Time List Braves Troll Yankees' Jazz Chisholm With Walk-Up Song Yankees in Trade Talks With Pirates
Biggest impact of Josh Naylor trade may still be to come
While the Seattle Mariners landed an impact bat on Thursday night, their trade for Josh Naylor has also likely impacted the entire upcoming MLB trade deadline. On Thursday, Seattle sent a pair of top pitching prospects to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Naylor, with left-hander Brandyn Garcia (ranked as Seattle's 13th-best prospect by MLB.com) and right-hander Ashton Izzi (ranked as Seattle's 16th-best prospect by the same rankings) heading to the desert. Knowing what the Diamondbacks received in exchange for Naylor could well set the market for what is to come between now and the conclusion of the 2025 MLB trade deadline, set for 6 p.m. (Eastern) on July 31. The 28-year-old first baseman was ranked by The Athletic as the 17th-best trade candidate likely to be available, but ranked behind just one other first baseman (Baltimore's Ryan O'Hearn, who was slotted in at 16th). If Naylor brought in a pair of pitching prospects, including Garcia, who has appeared in two games this season for Seattle, the Diamondbacks could be salivating over what third baseman Eugenio Suarez and his 36 home runs could bring in return. All MLB teams who will be buying or selling at this year's trade deadline have had the first price bar set for them with the Naylor deal. Now it will be fascinating to see what comes next, especially knowing that Naylor will be a free agent at the end of this season. If Seattle gave up two pitching prospects for a player who could be a late-season rental only, imagine what the Minnesota Twins may be able to recoup for starting pitcher Joe Ryan (under team control through the 2027 season) or the Boston Red Sox might get back for outfielder Jarren Duran, who won't be a free agent until the 2029 campaign. While Naylor may not be the biggest move to come during this span before the trade deadline comes to a close, his deal could be the one that establishes selling prices for the trades that are to come. With so few MLB teams expected to be outright sellers, the price for available talent was expected to be high. We learned on Thursday night with the Naylor swap just how high those prices may go.
Cowboys quarterback seemingly takes a shot at his former team
Joe Milton III is experiencing training camp with his second NFL team in as many seasons, and the young quarterback says he has already noticed some significant differences. Milton was traded from the New England Patriots to the Dallas Cowboys this offseason in a somewhat surprising move. At practice on Thursday, the former Tennessee quarterback told reporters he has been surprised by how much mentoring he has received from Dak Prescott. Milton then seemed to take a swipe at his former team. "Dak is a great leader. … All respect to him. He literally goes out of his way to help me," Milton said. "I’ve been in another building. I know how that goes. It’s just very different over here.” Milton played behind fellow rookie Drake Maye in New England last season. He could not have expected the No. 3 overall pick to mentor him, so it is possible he was taking a shot at Jacoby Brissett, who was also on the Patriots' roster last year. Either way, it seems clear that Milton is having a better time in Dallas than he did last year. Milton gave a funnier reason for being happy about his trade to the Cowboys earlier this offseason.
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