30 NHL stars who could be traded this offseason

19. Seth Jones, Chicago Blackhawks

Seth Jones is such a hard player to value at this point in his career. He was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2021. The Blackhawks thought they could still hold onto the end of their dynasty, but it almost immediately went into the dirt. Jones went into a similar place as well. He hasn’t been good at all with Chicago, but he finally had a decent year last season.

He hasn’t been amazing, but he was fine. Jones finished the season with 31 points, which is low for him, but he wasn’t a sieve defensively. He was able to play the type of game the Blackhawks needed, even if he wasn’t one of the only players on the team doing it. 

We never want to quote plus-minus as a serious stat, but it can sometimes tell a story. He played 25:30 per game on a team that finished with a minus-111 goal differential. To only finish at minus-15 is somewhat impressive. It shows that Jones isn’t cooked. There is still a good defenseman in there. He just has to find the right fit.

Here’s the problem — he makes more than $9 million per season. For one, he helps the Blackhawks get to the salary cap floor. They have no interest in cutting salary for nothing right now. They want assets. Meanwhile, good teams that would motivate Jones can’t afford that salary. Still, the Blackhawks could retain a good portion of this salary in the right situation, even if he will be paid until 2030.