Only hours before the 2021 NHL draft was set to begin, the Chicago Blackhawks acquired Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Seth Jones. Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman was hoping to capitalize off the Blackhawks surprisingly successful 2020-2021 season with this move. The hope was that Jones could join the resurging Hawks and be the final piece to get them back to playoff contention. Yet, the exact opposite happened from this trade. Now almost three years after this deal went down, let’s revisit this blockbustre trade.
Revisiting the Blackhawks Trade for Seth Jones
The Trade
To Chicago: Seth Jones, 2021 first-round pick, 2022 sixth-round pick
To Columbus: Adam Boqvist, 2021 first-round pick, 2021 second-round pick, conditional 2022 first-round pick
The condition on the 2022 pick was that if it was in the top two, it would become a 2023 first-round pick.
The Lead-up To The Trade
Seth Jones being traded was inevitable in the 2021 NHL offseason. He made it clear to Columbus that he was not going to sign a long term deal with the team, forcing the Blue Jackets’ hand. The major question with Jones at the time was his performance, as he was coming off two down seasons in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021. His performance in previous years made teams weary of trading for him and then having to extend him. However, the Blackhawks opted to pay an exorbitant price for Jones that same offseason.
The Blackhawks were in an interesting spot in the 2021 offseason. Despite missing the playoffs, Chicago managed to finish the season one game under .500 in a competitive central division. The team even held a playoff spot for a while before losing momentum toward the end of the season. Would the team have performed nearly as well in an 82-game season? Probably not. However, this one season was enough for management to determine the team could become a playoff contender again.
The Hawks received many fluke performances from the likes of rookie’s Kevin Lankinen and Pius Suter. They also got outstanding performances from both Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat, along with a late season resurgence from Vinnie Hinostroza, who the team acquired in a midseason trade with the Florida Panthers.
The Aftermath
Stan Bowman was desperate to keep the Blackhawks contending window open and this move represents that clearly. Immediately after the trade, the Blackhawks would sign Seth Jones to a 8-year, $76,000,000 contract with a $9,500,000 AAV. Whether or not the Hawks gave up too much for Jones was debatable, but it was not debatable that the contract was terrible. Everyone in the hockey community saw that deal as a major overpay for a player who had not had elite production in a few seasons.
This move also influenced an offseason full of moves for Chicago. They would acquire Vezina Trophy winning goalie Marc-Andre Fleury from the Vegas Golden Knights and Tyler Johnson from the Tampa Bay Lightning. The team made these moves with the idea of competing for a Stanley Cup in mind. In hindsight, none of these moves ended up working particularly well for Chicago.
Who Won This Trade?
Looking back at this trade almost three years later, it is possible this was a lose-lose trade for both teams. For Chicago, they never were close to being competitive during the 2021-2022 season and Stan Bowman resigned from his role in October of 2021. Kyle Davidson opted to take the team in a completely different direction that same season, which is a rebuild. Jones is now one of the league’s highest paid defenceman on a bad team. Jones himself has not been an elite defenceman either. Seth Jones isn’t replacement level bad, but is far from elite. His offensive production has slipped and he struggles in his own zone. The Hawks drafted defenceman Nolan Allan with the first-round pick they acquired from Columbus. Allan is possibly the only positive outcome of this deal for Chicago, as he ranks among the team’s top prospects.
Columbus didn’t make out great with this trade either. Adam Boqvist struggled with injuries throughout his career in Columbus, and the team recently bought out his contract. Boqvist is now a member of the Florida Panthers. The Blue Jackets drafted David Jiricek 6th overall with the 2022 pick they got from Chicago. Though he shows promise, he has struggled to crack the Blue Jackets lineup consistently. The positive out of this deal for Columbus has been Cole Sillinger who the Jackets picked with the Blackhawks 2021 first-round pick. Sillinger recorded 32 points in 77 games this season. One could argue that Columbus won this trade, but if Jiricek flames out, it might become a lose-lose deal.
Now that we are nearing the three year anniversary of this deal, it’s clear to anyone that Seth Jones has no business being traded to Chicago. The Hawks desperately needed to rebuild following their dynasty but one season of fluke performances convinced management otherwise. Jones now seems stuck in Chicago on a bad contract. While it’s uncertain if he will be around for the Hawks’ next playoff window, Seth Jones currently appears to be tied to the Blackhawks.
Main Photo: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
