The Seth Jones trade was one of the largest deals made in the offseason. Naturally, Chicago Blackhawks fans immediately began slamming the trade for the copious amounts of assets included in the deal. Among the series of first-round picks, Adam Boqvist was the one player the Blackhawks threw in the deal.
During the Columbus Blue Jackets‘ media availability on January 10th, Boqvist talked about his departure from the Blackhawks. However, one of the most shocking things revealed in the interview was Boqvist’s statement regarding how the trade was handled.
"“We didn’t know anything, actually. My agent talked to [Stan Bowman] right after the season, because there were some rumors around, and he said, ‘We won’t trade Adam.’ But it’s a business and there’s nothing you can do about it.”"
As if Stan Bowman had not been involved in enough lying throughout his time as general manager, Boqvist was informed that he was safe from the trade talks. Long-standing Blackhawks fans were most likely not entirely shocked by this announcement.
Bowman garnered nothing short of a disastrous reputation while he was head of the front office. It turns out that he might have lost this trade from a moral standpoint and a skill standpoint.
Regardless of how well Jones has been performing as a Blackhawk, it looks like the trade will never equalize. The Blackhawks have already lost the trade. Most likely, their 2022 first-round pick will end up being lottery eligible.
If the Blue Jackets get another high selection because of this deal, things will only worsen. Luckily, the management responsible for this deal is already gone, but that does not absolve the mishandling of the trade.
The Blackhawks and the Blue Jackets play each other for the first time since the trade occurred on January 11th, tonight. Boqvist is currently ninth in scoring on the Blue Jackets, and Jones is third in scoring on Blackhawks. However, the difference between these two players will be no more evident than when fans can see them go head to head against each other.