Appreciate the gratitude, Florida Panthers, but it is not needed. While it is nice that Seth Jones helped the Panthers win a second straight Stanley Cup, the Hawks benefited from trading Jones rather than keeping him.
Plus, Jones no longer wanted to be in Chicago. With Petr Mrazek struggling as the No. 1 goaltender, getting goalie Spencer Knight back for a pouting star defenseman gave the Hawks a long-term solution at a critical position.
Having a first-round pick also provides the Blackhawks with a future asset to potentially trade for a star player if the team progresses through this rebuild is an added bonus.
So, while it is nice to see Brad Marchand showing the Hawks some appreciation for trading Jones; the Hawks are going to be all right.
Let's not forget the trade got Jones' terrible contract off their books.
While the Blackhawks are retaining $2.5 million of his salary, it is much better than having his $9 million still on the books. He was foolishly overpaid by previous general manager Stan Bowman, and it was a source of frustration for fans to see him get paid and not live up to that contract. It immediately became an albatross around the organization, given that the team ended up shortly transitioning into a rebuild.
Jones made it clear that the losing was wearing on him, and he wanted out. He reportedly only wanted to go to Dallas and Florida. Thank you to Florida for still providing a generous trade return and taking most of his salary cap hit.
So, picking up more cap space and getting pieces that can help bring a better future provides greater value than having an overpaid, unhappy No. 1 defenseman.
Plus, the Blackhawks have plenty of talented young defensemen that have the potential to actually win a Norris Trophy.
That is why Jones helping the Panthers in the present should not be a problem for Blackhawks fans to see.
Hopefully, this is the Panthers just having some fun. If it is trolling, it misses the mark because it was not like Jones was some beloved player in Chicago. It is also not like the Blackhawks did not get any benefit from the trade. The only difference right now is that the Panthers won the Stanley Cup out of this trade. The Blackhawks hope this trade will help them win it all someday.
