The Seth Jones rumor mill has been one of the most discussed topics as of late, though even I didn’t expect the Chicago Blackhawks to ultimately win the sweepstakes.
The Columbus Blue Jackets continuous fall from grace and gradual loss of their long-standing core is something which was almost inevitable for most fans and analysts alike, though it certainly hasn’t gone the way most expected, with Seth Jones the latest high-profile player to depart Nationwide Arena.
More from Puck Prose
- Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
- This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
- 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
- 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
- This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings
After much debate and speculation on both sides, Columbus acquired two First Round picks in the 2021 and 2022 NHL Entry Drafts, as well as a Second round pick in 2021 and top prospect Adam Boqvist from the Hawks, in exchange for a former franchise cornerstone in Jones.
Less than a few hours after Jones’ departure was announced, so too did fellow Columbus mainstay Cam Atkinson depart to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for former Blue Jackets First Rounder Jakub Voracek.
In that same time frame, that 2021 Second Round pick was flipped to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for similar top prospect and former First Round pick, defenseman Jake Bean. In an effort to move on from the overall successful, albeit tumultuous John Tortorella era, Columbus is pushing for a full on rebuild of sorts, while still trying to construct a hard-working roster who can fight for a Playoff spot, a la the 2019-20 Blue Jackets.
Overseas additions like Canadian KHL star Justin Danforth and long-time Swiss league star Gregory Hofmann should see heavily increased roles as most of Columbus’s more established players have headed elsewhere, something which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. At the forefront of it all, however, is Jones, and the numerous picks and prospects Columbus managed to get in return.
A former No. 4 overall pick of the Nasvhille Predators in 2013, Jones lasted just two-and-a-half seasons in Nashville before being dealt to Columbus in a blockbuster one-for-one trade for center Ryan Johansen in 2016.
It goes without saying that this trade ended up being heavily, heavily lopsided in Columbus’s favor, as the Predators have struggled to give Johansen’s contract away, let alone trade it. For Jones however, the Blue Jackets managed a fairly solid return in exchange for the 26-year-old blueliner, whilst Blackhawks General Manager Stan Bowman seems fixated on a win-now motif that I’m still uncertain will come to fruition.
Chicago’s gradual downfall from perennial Stanley Cup favorites to middle of the pack mediocrity is something most could’ve seen coming.
The Chicago Blackhawks and GM Stan Bowman have put their faith in a win-now motif with the recent Seth Jones acquisition.
After missing the Playoffs in three of the past four seasons, Bowman is gambling on Jones to help restore a thoroughly depleted Blackhawks roster, whilst simultaneously joining Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning on the chopping block. With Jones having been set to become a UFA at season’s end, Chicago immediately re-signed the Texas native to an 8-year deal worth $76 million, with a $9.5 million AAV.
Now, this isn’t a low-term contract, to say the least, and it is one that has naturally divided Blackhawks fans, in an era where the NHL has continually tried to move away from these larger scale contracts after disastrous result after disastrous result.
Going back to Johansen, fellow Predators forward Matt Duchene’s $8 million cap hit is one whom Nasvhille has also tried to give away to other teams, with both players having been left exposed in the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft. Sergei Bobrovsky has yet to record a GAA below 2.91 in spite of his $10 million cap hit in Florida, and even Andrew Ladd’s ridiculous $5 million AAV is still floating around in Arizona.
While Jones is obviously cut from a different cloth as compared to those three, he still struggled through the past two seasons, after recording three consecutive 40-point seasons to start his tenure in Columbus. After an immensely impressive 16-goal, 57-point season in 2017-18, Jones posted underwhelming 5-23-28 totals over 56 games in 2020-21, which makes me, and others wonder if this is a contract he’ll ultimately be able to live up to.
Boqvist and Bean were two prospects who were developing slower than both Chicago and Carolina would’ve liked, yet still carry a tremendous amount of upside and should be given every chance to succeed under new Blue Jackets Head Coach Brad Larsen. They play a similar style to Jones and are still developing, with the potential to be top pairing options down the line.
And lest we forget the player taken with that 2021 First Round pick, 12th overall pick and WHL standout Cole Sillinger, a Columbus native who looks to have a bright future ahead of him.
In the meantime, Chicago’s team is not too dissimilar to Columbus in both their structure and overall records in 2020-21, which makes me wonder, can Jones bring the Blackhawks back to the postseason? There are a number of holes in Chicago’s lineup that need addressing/further development, and they are ones which could ultimately limit their Playoff chances due to overall issues with consistency, which reared their head this past season.
Kevin Lankinen was one of the NHL’s best stories in coming from out of nowhere as the starting option for the Hawks, but he regressed significantly as the season wore on and is in need of some further development before he sees increased minutes.
The backup situation was shaky at best with Malcolm Subban and Colin Delia, and the offense was unreliable outside of the lethal combination of Patrick Kane and Alex Debrincat. Kane has been what the Blackhawks have lived or died by offensively or the past few seasons, and while he still shows no signs of slowing down, he’s not exactly getting younger either.
Overall, while I think Jones will be given every opportunity to thrive in Chicago, I just feel as though they aren’t the kind of postseason-ready team who should be making trades like this. Will it ultimately work out on one and / or both sides? That remains to be seen but, regardless, it seems as though the Seth Jones rumor mill has met it’s untimely and unlikely end, whether it works out or not in his new home with the Chicago Blackhawks.