Blackhawk Up Mailbag: 8/15/22

The fact this season is going to be so unpredictable is making me excited to see what happens. I'm not expecting a Cinderella run to the playoffs, but it's going to be interesting to see what some of the young guys can do in increased roles, as well as what the team will eventually get for Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, as much as it'll hurt to see them go. In today's mailbag, I'll leave my opinion on a few storylines surrounding the Hawks right now.

Seth Jones Rumors

A rumor emerged recently that Jones' name has come up to some teams after the Hawks said that nobody is off the table. The only issue would be Jones' contract, which is a $9.5M cap hit for quite a few more years.

I can't see Jones being traded this season, or for a few seasons at that, and I'm totally okay with that. When the contract got signed last summer I was one of the first to bash the team for the amount of money they committed to him for that amount of time. But, Jones has since proven he has at least a few good years left in him, and has shown signs of improvement in his own zone, while maintaining his impressive offensive pace.

Athanasiou & Domi to be Flipped at the Deadline?

Some fans believe Domi and Athanasiou could be flipped at this season's trade deadline to acquire more future assets. While yes, that's always a possibility, I would lean more towards them staying. If they get flipped, unless they have incredible years, I don't think they'll fetch as big of a return as many would want.

Domi is motivated to stay, I can see him re-signing with the Hawks when the season finishes. Athanasiou on the other hand, I think would be the more likely candidate. He's been moved plenty of times in his career, and I think he could fetch the Hawks a couple of mid-round picks, which would be a win if the team is tanking hard by the time the deadline hits.