Elliotte Friedman gives startling insight into 'complicated' Seth Jones-Blackhawks contract talks amid trade plea

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman recently spoke about Seth Jones' trade situation out of the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday's episode of 32 Thoughts podcast. He said some people were upset that Jones’ trade request became public after he asked to leave.

Friedman explained that while players can share their feelings, teams sometimes expect them to stay quiet. Friedman said (39:10):

"There were some people who were really upset about it, and they said that it didn't come out until after he indicated he wanted to leave. I think this is going to be a really hard deal to do right now."

Friedman believes the Blackhawks likely told Jones not to speak about it again:

"I could see, I could see the Blackhawks saying to Seth Jones, 'Look, like we're going to try to do this. But this is complicated, and we need you not to do that again.' ...

"There are times when an organization is within its right to say, 'Hey, can't have this right now.' And I think Chicago is probably in that position."

Trading Jones is difficult because of his contract. He has a $9.5 million cap hit for five more years. The Blackhawks do not want draft picks or long-term prospects in return. They want young players who are ready to contribute right now. This makes a trade harder since few teams can afford his contract and meet Chicago’s needs.

"They can't be in a situation where they just don't have players around the guard anymore," Friedman said. "So I look at that as Jones has the right to spout off for one time now. He's just got to play and play his best, because that's the way that's going to help the Blackhawks to move him.

"I'm just not sure it's going to happen right now, and if you had any indication that the Blackhawks were looking at at moving him."

Seth Jones's performance amid Blackhawks' struggles.

The Blackhawks are on a five-game losing streak. Seth Jones has also been inconsistent recently. Against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, he had no points, three shots and finished with a -2 rating in 23:44 minutes of ice time.

He played better against Utah Hockey Club, scoring a power-play goal, blocking four shots and making five hits. In February, he has three points in eight games, all on the power play.

In 42 games this season, Jones has 27 points, including 15 on the power play. He has 81 shots on net and a minus-18 rating. He is currently part of Chicago’s top defensive pairing and first power-play unit. So, a trade for Seth Jones does not seem likely soon.