It’s hard to find another recent NHL deal that has worsened for all parties than Seth Jones’ Blackhawks acquisition from the Blue Jacket in 2021.
The move flops for the Hawks in the short term, restructuring the restructuring over the long term. Hawks fans focused their anger on Jones during his tenure – as he was in front of them – but the real target was former general manager Stan Bowman.
Jones’ trade and all his other poor decisions in the summer of 2021 ruined his Hawks legacy.
The move led to Jones’ four years of frustration, which then pushed trade with the Hawks and sought another trade with the Panthers on Saturday, revealing that his Chicago experience couldn’t stand expectations. This spring, he will be taking part in the bubble playoffs for the first time since 2019.
Also, the deal didn’t bring much to the jacket. David Zilisek, who drafted the Hawks’ first round pick in 2022, also has no trade centre Adam Bokvist left in the organization. Cole Syllinger, drafted in the Hawks’ first round pick in 2021, has become a great but unremarkable player.
Oddly, even after trading Jones, the Hawks still have more players left from the deal than the jacket (Nolan Alan and Dominic James were drafted with jacket picks).
Seth Jones is “very happy” to go to Florida for each sauce.
– Benpope (@benpopecst) March 2, 2025
The retrospective analysis is interesting, but now largely unrelated, as Jackets are trying to complete the moving 2024-25 underdog story with a wildcard verse, and the Hawks are about to start climbing up from their deep reconstruction. Since 2021, times have changed quite a bit.
Hawks GM Kyle Davidson went well on Saturday to score a promising goalkeeper and first-round pick at Spencer Knight, especially considering how he was Hamsturing due to Jones’ non-athletic clauses and a nasty pay cap hit. Knight’s arrival creates a temporary goalkeeper Logjam, but his first Hawks will start this week, perhaps Monday against the King – justifying true expectations.
There have been some major moves in recent years that have created a sense of Davidson’s team.
Jones was, after all, the last important link to his Bowman era. Many Hawks prospects were drafted by Bowman, but only two (Connor Murphy and Philip Krashev) played the NHL games under him weren’t left.
The Oilers are Bowman’s team as they made the unsurprising but perplexed decision to hire him as the new GM last summer. Meanwhile, the Hawks are Davidson’s team.
And now it’s time for Davidson to make his team a real team, a competitive team in ascending order as soon as possible.
Without Jones, the Hawks’ abundant cap space would have entered the stratosphere. From 2025-26, they have a committed salary of $56.7 million (which could decrease after TJ Brodie and others are acquired) and $38.8 million in available space.
When Connor Bedard’s second contract begins between 2026 and 27, they will have $18.9 million in dedicated pay and $85.1 million in available space. It’s basically a blank slate.
In other words, Davidson has an urgent need to bring established talent to the Hawks to supplement the youth movement that remains at the heart of his plans.
Of course, he shouldn’t be reckless just because he can afford to be. And it’s not easy to come to the Hawks this summer to convince top free agents such as Mitch Marner, Micco Lantanen and Aaron Eckblad. However, the window probably won’t be able to open any wider.
