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The Chicago Blackhawks just continue to lose in 2024-25, the latest a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday night. And veteran defenseman Seth Jones didn't hold back after yet another disappointing outcome.
“We’re the exact same team right now as we were game 1. It’s pretty evident out there,” Jones told reporters when asked what needs to change. “We haven’t made any strides to be a better, more simple hockey team, and it shows.”
The Hawks spent a ton of time in the penalty box, taking five minor penalties throughout the game. And although Utah didn't score with the man advantage, Jones points to that as a key reason why the squad is struggling to have success.
“We don't get a lot of wins because of that. This has been almost four years of bottom of the league, so it's not just this year. It doesn't help. It puts a lot of pressure on [goaltender Arvid Soderblom]. It just kills momentum,” Jones said.
“We have one or two good shifts in a row and then you take penalty. We had three in the first, two in the second, 10 minutes is a long time on the kill, you don't get the flow of the guys going offensively, guys have to sit, and then it's tough to get anything going. Staying out of the box is key. We have zero chance of winning if [our goalie] doesn't stand on his head.”
Jones gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead on the powerplay on Tuesday night, but that's all the offense the team would muster in Salt Lake City. Utah forward Clayton Keller tied the game late in the second period before Lawson Crouse scored the eventual game-winning goal midway through the final frame.
With that, the Hawks have lost four games in a row and fallen to 17-34-7. The roster could certainly look a lot different between now and the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline — but will Jones be one of the players getting a change of scenery sometime in the next nine days?
Will the Hawks trade Seth Jones before the deadline?
The Blackhawks entered the 2024-25 campaign hoping to see some improvement after a 15th place finish in the Western Conference last season. With Connor Bedard fresh off winning the Calder Trophy, the hope in the Windy City was that the team would be much more competitive this time around.
But through 58 games, that just hasn't been the case. With 41 losses on the campaign — 34 of them in regulation — only the San Jose Sharks have lost more games. Chicago was outshot 36-22 against the Utah Hockey Club, with the shot attempts favoring Utah 93-39.
It was another brutal showing for the Hawks, and there have been reports that Jones would welcome a potential trade to a contending team. But that is unlikely to happen, as his $9.5 million cap hit will be almost impossible to offload. Now in the third season of an eight-year contract he signed with the team back in July of 2021, he owns a full no-movement clause through the 2029-30 season.
“We all know the whole story and what happened when I got here,” Jones told the Chicago Sun-Times' Ben Pope last week. “I would like to give myself a chance to win in my career. I know that the money is not an easy thing to move, and that’s what we’re figuring out. If it happens, it happens. Obviously, while I’m here with the Blackhawks, they have my full effort [and] full attention to this team to try to get this team better.”
Jones hasn't turned in a formal trade request, and the most likely scenario is that he remains in Chicago past the trade deadline.
