NHL insider links veteran defenseman Seth Jones to Edmonton Oilers
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NHL insider Greg Wyshynski mused today that the Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers could be perfect trade partners for one veteran defenseman this season.
That defender would be none other than Seth Jones. The Blackhawks acquired Jones from the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2021 and proceeded to sign him to an eight-year contract extension. The 29-year-old has six years left remaining on that deal, including this season. It carries an annual-average-value of 9.25 million dollars, making him one of the highest paid defensemen in the league. Unfortunately for Jones though, the Blackhawks will likely not be a good team for at least a few more years so he is unlikely to see many playoff games with the team if he gets into any at all. One team that will be making the playoffs however is the Edmonton Oilers, who could be interested in him according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski.
"This could be the season where Jones gets moved if the right situation presents itself to GM Kyle Davidson, who is not the GM who traded for and signed Jones to that contract. Funny enough, the general manager who did is now running the Edmonton Oilers, a team that has a much maligned 26-year-old defenseman making $9.25 million against the cap through 2029-30. Seth Jones-Stan Bowman reunion, when?" - Greg Wyshynski
Despite the connection with Stan Bowman, such a trade would be very complicated. As it stands, the Oilers have less than a quarter of a million dollars in cap space, meaning a significant amount of cap would have to go the other way. Furthermore, the Blackhawks are unlikely to retain salary with six years left on Jones' contract and if they do, it would come at a huge cost to Edmonton. Furthermore, the Oilers already have an extremely similar player on their roster in Darnell Nurse. Both players are good offensively, but have major defensive deficiencies, both are 29-years-old, and both have a 9.25 million dollar cap hit. The only significant difference between the two is the fact that Jones shoots right handed.
Right-handed defenseman are often hard to come by, but does it really make sense to add another player like this to the Oilers? One possibility would be a one-for-one trade, but Nurse has a full no-movement clause and he likely would not want to play for the Blackhawks. Furthermore, that move would be a side grade at best for the Oilers. NHL general managers often make decisions that are questioned by their fans though, so perhaps Stan Bowman and Kyle Davidson will surprise us this season.
