The Chicago Blackhawks should pass on Jones and Hamilton

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What’s almost as exciting as the Stanley Cup playoffs? If you said nothing, you aren’t wrong, but if you said off-season trade speculation, then you’re also correct. Right now, the Blackhawks are in the thick of it when it comes to (hypothetically) making big signings and trades. They’d have to be, the team has holes all over the lineup, but there are a couple of quality players whose names could be very interesting to Chicago.

Both Seth Jones and Dougie Hamilton will likely be talking to other teams this summer, and maybe even signing a new deal. However, Stan Bowman should probably pass on them. Both veteran defensemen are great players, and either one would quickly be an upgrade to the Chicago Blackhawks’ blueline. The problems arise with issues like a contract, age, and where exactly Chicago is in their rebuild.

These aren’t exactly cut-and-dry issues either. As the off-season progresses, Chicago has to try and determine who is going to be the best possible fit several years from now. Complicating this even further is that the entire league is dealing with a flat cap, and that cap will be in place for a yet-to-be-determined amount of time.

Signing a player for future gains is a gamble. Proof? Look no further than Brent Seabrook. He was paid well for his contributions to the team. He’s often touted as a great leader and has been an influential player among his teammates. The contract that was his reward is now weighing down the team mightily. No one could have predicted that his decline as a player would happen as quickly as it did, but the damage is done. This is an extreme example, but it demonstrates why projecting for the future is both difficult and (potentially) perilous.

However, Chicago has no choice but to look to free agency to solve their defensive woes, at least for now. As 2020-21 demonstrated, Chicago has a lot of competent depth in their system. That’s the problem though, none of these players projects to be a top-pairing defenseman except for maybe Adam Boqvist. If Chicago wants to be a more competitive team, then the Blackhawks have no choice but to take a risk on a free agent.

That’s what makes the big-name players so enticing, especially since Chicago likely will have the cap space to sign them. Should they make these kinds of moves now though? Will signing Hamilton or Jones really put Chicago back on the path to the become Stanley Cup Champions?

No matter what team Hamilton ends up with, (for some possible scenarios, NBC made a list of teams he could end up on) he’s going to cost some money as a free agent and/or want term. Right away, this should be a hard “no” from Chicago.

The first problem here is that Hamilton is, at the time this article was written, 28-years-old. Even if Chicago can afford him, he probably doesn’t want to be on a team that won’t really be a contender for a few years. Additionally, Chicago shouldn’t commit big contracts to players that will be on the decline when the rest of the team is on the ascent. It makes sense in the short term, but only for the next few years.

Who knows what kind of money Hamilton will ask for, but he won’t be a bargain. Chicago shouldn’t be prepping to pay more than 5 million per year on a guy that will be near or in his mid-30’s by the time the team is a contender again. It would be best if Bowman avoided making a deal like this one, even if it is really tempting.

One other note on Hamilton is that he’s more of an offensive defenseman, rather than the defensive, stay-at-home type. That’s nice and all, but it’s not what Chicago needs. The team needs defence, and Hamilton isn’t the guy that’s going to help bring a suffocating presence to the Blachawks’ defensive zone.

Signing Jones would be a much different ordeal. He’s still under contract with Columbus, and they’ll be looking to trade him, as has been reported by SportsNet and others. A 26-year-old top-pairing defenseman is going to fetch quite a price, even if his game has possibly fallen off a bit the last couple of years. He’s young enough that age shouldn’t be an issue for Chicago, but whatever the Blue Jackets want will be dear.

How much should a dynamic tew-way defenseman cost as a trade? After losing both Artemi Panarin, Pierre-Luc Dubois, as well as not getting much out of Patrik Laine or Max Domi, Columbus is in a bad spot. They’re rebuilding, again, and want to get as much back as possible for any deals they make. For Chicago, this would likely mean someone young that is likely supposed to be a part of the team’s future. Should the Blackhawks be ready to part ways with up-and-coming talent?

The short answer, “no.” At least not yet. There’s no way Chicago should give up players like Kirby Dach or Alex DeBrincat to get Jones. DeBrincat is 23, and Chicago absolutely needs him. Trading Dach would be its own problem because he’s probably supposed to be taking over for Jonathan Toews. If Bowman sends Dach to Columbus, then the Blackhawks’ center depth will look as thin as their blueline has the last couple of years.

While Jones is a talented player that will help Chicago, it’s not clear how acquiring him will really put them in a better position long-term, or even short-term. The amount that would have to be given up is significant enough that it’s likely Chicago would be as mediocre as they were the last couple of seasons. All that would change would be that the defence would step forward, but the forwards would take a step back.

Chicago only formally announced that they were starting a youth movement less than a year ago. That isn’t a lot of time to commit to improving the team. A season? Assuming that the team only truly began the process to recreate the talent pool when the notice went out in October 2020, then there is still a fair amount of distance that has to be travelled. It’s too early in the rebuild to start dealing away key young players in the hopes of accelerating things.

Neither deal really makes sense, even if it’s tempting to think these players could, in theory, be suiting up for Chicago next year. Also, even if it sounds pessimistic, the Blackhawks probably won’t be very good in 2021-22. It’s entirely reasonable to think that they could end up with another high pick once the next season is over. Drafting a high-end defenseman could still be possible, and soon.

There’s a lot more skill in the pipeline than there was just a few years ago, but it’s not enough to think that sacrificing Dach, or any of the team’s top prospects, is a good idea. Not yet. In a few years, this will be a move Chicago can afford to make. For now, the team needs to focus on bringing in more young skilled players, and figure out who can hang in the NHL against the league’s best.

light. Related Story. What Does Signing of Jakub Pour Mean For Blackhawks?

Everyone wants the team to be a competitor soon, but it’s not worth trading away the organization’s future. If the team was a Hamilton or a Jones away from being a real contender, then yeah, definitely make those deals, but they aren’t. Chicago was one of the worst teams in the NHL last year, and they probably will be again next year. Better to wait and take a measured approach. The Blackhawks will be better served by a more patient path to replenishing their lineup.

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