Report: Seth Jones, Blackhawks talking about trade

Seth Jones‘ time with the Chicago Blackhawks may soon be coming to an end.

The Blackhawks and the defenceman are talking about the possibility of a trade, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun Times reported on Wednesday.

Jones, in the third year of an eight-year, $76 million contract that includes a no-move clause, told Pope that the possibility of a trade was appealing, but he knows his contract will be tricky to fit into other teams.

“I would like to give myself a chance to win in my career,” Jones said. “I know that the money is not an easy thing to move, and that’s what we’re figuring out.”

Jones, 30, was traded to the Blackhawks from the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he spent six seasons, in 2021 and signed the eight-year deal soon after.

But the Blackhawks swiftly lost franchise cornerstones Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, along with budding offensive force Alex DeBrincat, which propelled the club into a full-scale rebuild. As a result, Jones’ output has suffered to the tune of a minus-102 rating in 255 games with Chicago.

Jones acknowledged that until a potential trade is done, he’s remaining fully committed to Chicago.

“If it happens, it happens. Obviously, while I’m here with the Blackhawks, they have my full effort [and] full attention to this team to try to get this team better.”

Jones has six goals and 20 assists in 38 games for the 17-31-7 Blackhawks. He says that his goal now, for however long he has left with the club, is to help build a winning culture.

“Winning games makes you feel better,” Jones said. “It makes the team feel better. It makes your organization feel better. You have fun coming to the rink every day. That’s what my goal is for this team, as long as I’m here. It could be two weeks. It could be five more years.”

The NHL trade deadline is March 7.

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