Seth Jones is discussing trade options with the Chicago Blackhawks to get him to a team he can have a chance of winning with sooner than later.
When he was acquired by the Blackhawks and signed his massive contract, Chicago gave the impression that they were still trying to win. It was very soon after that everything was torn down with Jones left behind. This is now the fourth consecutive season since arriving that Jones is going to miss the playoffs and it doesn’t look like the Blackhawks are going to turn things around as quickly as next season either.
With that being said, the discussion with the Blackhawks about a potential trade has sparked rumors of where he could end up, whether that be this season or in the offseason. He has been linked to 3 contenders in particular – Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, and Florida Panthers. Let’s look deeper at how these teams could make this work and why.
Dallas Stars
The right side of Dallas’ defense is concerning and one of the top left-shot defensemen have typically had to play their off side.
Cody Ceci’s money and contract is off the books after the season and I haven’t seen any indication that the Stars have confidence in Nils Lundkvist moving forward. That leaves Ilya Lyubushkin, who is a second pairing d-man at best, but would be better used in a third pairing, penalty killing, shutdown role.
Dallas wouldn’t be able to take all of Jones’ contract on, unless they would realistically have the money to allocate towards doing so if they really wanted with some big contracts ending. A good amount of contracts are coming to an end. If Jones is brought in, he wouldn’t have to take on the same responsibility as in Chicago. It could be like an Oliver Ekman-Larsson situation. He struggled in Vancouver, but turned his career back around in Florida and Toronto with less pressure solely on him.
Colorado Avalanche
It is tough for the Avalanche to trust Josh Manson’s health at this point and his contract ends at the finale of next season. The team is already looking weaker among their depth defensemen and could use an upgrade. There was some cap space opened up after moving Mikko Rantanen, but Colorado is definitely a team that will need cap retention from the Blackhawks.
There is some money coming off the books, but not enough. The Avalanche aren’t even done making moves this season. While I could see Jones being moved here before the deadline, it is more likely to happen in the offseason as there would have to be a good amount of work done to get this extra playoff run in with their potential new defenseman.
“He’s a hell of a player. … I don’t want to speak on the situation in Chicago or what he’s going through, but he’s a guy that I know can be a different maker in this league. He knows it. The league knows it.”
—Zach Werenski on ex-teammate Seth Jones’ trade request pic.twitter.com/U5QGZd5D5B
— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) February 22, 2025
Again, Jones wouldn’t be in such a big role as in Chicago and it could free him up more. He would slot in on the second pairing with Samuel Girard, and although both are former Nashville Predators draft picks, they were a couple of years apart. Moving Manson would have to be done to acquire Jones.
Florida Panthers
It remains to be seen what the Panthers are going to do with Aaron Ekblad, but if he isn’t re-signed and hits free agency, there will be a big top-4 hole on the defense that needs to be filled. The Panthers would become more desperate if this reaches July, thus bringing the Blackhawks a better return.
Sergei Bobrovsky’s contract is done at the end of next season, but the forwards of the Panthers eat up a lot of the cap. The defense is weaker because of it and the team needs to get back to having some higher class defensemen that can get the job done.
In this case, Jones would be the best option for the top power play at least and get more minutes than if he were to be traded to Dallas or Colorado. Depending on what is happening with Matthew Tkachuk, Jones could be on the radar ahead of the deadline for the Panthers to shore up the defense. There would also have to be some cap retained by Chicago in this case as well.
It is becoming less and less likely that Jones will be playing for the Blackhawks next season with how things seem to be progressing. Despite his struggles defensively, he is a good player and can make a difference on the ice. A change in scenery and a bit of a different role may make a world of difference and really benefit whichever contender takes a swing at him.
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