What if the Blackhawks never brought in Seth Jones when they did?

The Chicago Blackhawks signed Seth Jones to a contract extension in 2022 hoping he would anchor their blue line for the foreseeable future.

However, the Blackhawks descended into a downward spiral as their rebuild went into full swing. That situation prompted the club to move on from Jones unceremoniously this past trade deadline.

Fortunately for Jones, he got a Stanley Cup in Florida. For the Blackhawks, the Seth Jones era ended with a thud.

But what if the Chicago Blackhawks had never traded for Jones? What if the Blackhawks had chosen to trade for someone else instead?

In hindsight, the Blackhawks should not have traded for Jones when they did. The hope was that the team could spark one last hurrah with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. Jones could have been that catalyst.

The outcome, instead, was the team breaking up their core and launching into a full-fledged rebuild. But the Blackhawks failed to acknowledge that was the direction the team was headed in. They tried to keep the team together with duct tape.

It ultimately failed to work. Jones wasn't the savior the Blackhawks hoped he would be. The team was headed toward a rebuild. But if the Blackhawks had never brought him in, the decline would have been ever more precipitous than it was.

Let’s take a minute to review the trade that brought Seth Jones to Chicago. On July 23, 2021, the Columbus Blue Jackets sent Seth Jones, who was set to become a UFA after the 2021-2022 season, to the Blackhawks, along with a 2021 first-rounder and a 2022 sixth-round pick, for Adam Boqvist, a 2021 and 2022 first-round pick, and a 2021 second-round pick.

The Blackhawks then signed Jones to an eight-year, $76 million contract. It seemed like the Blackhawks were poised to get back into the playoff picture.

However, the Blackhawks had an awful season, registering a 28-42-12 record and finishing seventh in the Central Division. All of a sudden, talk of a rebuild emerged in Chicago, leading to questions about the need for a top-pairing D-man in the Windy City.

After three-plus sour seasons in Chicago, the Blackhawks shipped Jones to the Florida Panthers for Spencer Knight and a 2026 first-round pick.

If that 2026 first-rounder ends up becoming a superstar, the deal would have been worth it. Otherwise, it’ll be up to Spencer Knight to make the trade worthwhile.

Jury still out on Blue Jackets-Blackhawks trade involving Seth Jones

The jury is still out on who won the Blue Jackets-Blackhawks trade involving Seth Jones. The Blackhawks sent Adam Boqvist to the Blue Jackets, a former first-round pick. However, Boqvist didn’t really work out in Columbus. He last played this past season with the New York Islanders.

The draft picks Chicago sent to Columbus turned into Cole Sillinger, taken 12th overall in 2021. The 2021 second-rounder became Aleksi Heimosalmi. Lastly, the 2022 first-round became David Jiricek, taken sixth overall.

As for the Blackhawks, their picks turned out to be Nolan Allan, taken 32nd overall, while the sixth-rounder became Dominic James, taken 173rd overall.

With the exception of Cole Sillinger, none of the other picks became contributors for the Blue Jackets. Jiricek became a valuable commodity as his trade to the Minnesota Wild landed the Blue Jackets with four draft picks.

Unless the players involved in the Blue Jackets-Blackhawks trade or the Blackhawks-Panthers trade become bona fide superstars, it seems that the biggest beneficiary of Seth Jones landing in Chicago was the Florida Panthers.