Jones open to/working with Blackhawks on trade

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I feel like nobody has a real grasp on what a return for Jones would look like. My best guess?

Jones at 7.5mil (2 mil retained)
for
Dead Cap Defenseman and A- Prospect.
 
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I feel like nobody has a real grasp on what a return for Jones would look like. My best guess?

Jones at 7.5mil (2 mil retained)
for
Dead Cap Defenseman and A- Prospect.
Depending on what you mean by A- propect, that will be very disappointing retaining 10 million. I know retention is (about to be) way less valueable then it has been with the cap set to explode and that the Hawks will need help getting to the cap floor (assuming top end UFA's are not coming for a few Summers), but that is still 10 million Wirtz dollars to buy a A- prospect of which we have 2 handfuls of our own.

Jones no retention should easily be a late first plus something decent when taking back a year of a dump contract. Hanifin as a pending UFA brought back a late 1st, 3rd, and bottom pairing RHD last TDL. Jones at 9.5 is only a problem finacially the rest of this season and next season (where a dump contract makes that work well). Since Hanifin was traded for a signed an extension and you have to deal with Jones under a full seasons cap, the cap will have gone up nearly 15 million.
 
I’d be fine with retaining 15% and adding Korchinski to get something good in return.

Jones @ 15%
Korchinski

Will Zellers
Miles Wood
Callum Ritchie
2026 1st

Korchinski has gotten better defensively but I don’t think he’s ever going to be stout there. Levshunov has shown me more this year on the PP (and I think Rinzel profiles there really well too) so then you start to wonder where he really fits.

Part of this too is I don’t like Korchinski’s game that much obviously, but I also really like Zellers. Even if you like Korchinski’s game more than me, I still think the long term fit on the PP is definitely in question regardless. Which was one of the reasons he was a top prospect in the first place.
 
I’d be fine with retaining 15% and adding Korchinski to get something good in return.

Jones @ 15%
Korchinski

Will Zellers
Miles Wood
Callum Ritchie
2026 1st

Korchinski has gotten better defensively but I don’t think he’s ever going to be stout there. Levshunov has shown me more this year on the PP (and I think Rinzel profiles there really well too) so then you start to wonder where he really fits.

Part of this too is I don’t like Korchinski’s game that much obviously, but I also really like Zellers. Even if you like Korchinski’s game more than me, I still think the long term fit on the PP is definitely in question regardless. Which was one of the reasons he was a top prospect in the first place.
I know you don’t love Korchinski but it’s way too early to move him in any deal other than something similar to the drysdale/Gauthier trade.

Really need to let things play out with these defenseman. Can’t assume they’re all hits
 
I’d be fine with retaining 15% and adding Korchinski to get something good in return.

Jones @ 15%
Korchinski

Will Zellers
Miles Wood
Callum Ritchie
2026 1st

Korchinski has gotten better defensively but I don’t think he’s ever going to be stout there. Levshunov has shown me more this year on the PP (and I think Rinzel profiles there really well too) so then you start to wonder where he really fits.

Part of this too is I don’t like Korchinski’s game that much obviously, but I also really like Zellers. Even if you like Korchinski’s game more than me, I still think the long term fit on the PP is definitely in question regardless. Which was one of the reasons he was a top prospect in the first place.

Not ready to give up on Korchinsky. He showed good flashes of what he could be this years short stint. He was so much better than last year. Vlasic is the only dman who looks sure thing on left side. Rest are just getting their feet wet.
 
I’d be fine with retaining 15% and adding Korchinski to get something good in return.

Jones @ 15%
Korchinski

Will Zellers
Miles Wood
Callum Ritchie
2026 1st

Korchinski has gotten better defensively but I don’t think he’s ever going to be stout there. Levshunov has shown me more this year on the PP (and I think Rinzel profiles there really well too) so then you start to wonder where he really fits.

Part of this too is I don’t like Korchinski’s game that much obviously, but I also really like Zellers. Even if you like Korchinski’s game more than me, I still think the long term fit on the PP is definitely in question regardless. Which was one of the reasons he was a top prospect in the first place.
Holy cow that's bad for Chicago

I'd rather have Jones for 5 more years than make that trade
 
Until Kyle from Chicago gets fired, I highly doubt his first ever draft pick (one he traded a popular player in DCat to acquire) is getting traded (much less in an abortion like this).
 
I know you don’t love Korchinski but it’s way too early to move him in any deal other than something similar to the drysdale/Gauthier trade.

Really need to let things play out with these defenseman. Can’t assume they’re all hits
I'd argue I'd rather move him earlier when he's still got the Top 10 pick behind him, rather than an offensive D that doesn't generate offense at an elite rate. Look at Luneau or Cagnoni in the same league, same age. Brandt Clarke's AHL year last year.

Time will tell. I think I'd pull the trigger sooner rather than later.
 
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Holy cow that's bad for Chicago

I'd rather have Jones for 5 more years than make that trade
Entitled to your opinion. I think getting a 2026 1st and Zellers is good for Seth at 15% and taking back Miles Wood. Then swapping Ritchie for Korchinski, while not my favorite deal out there, I'd consider.
 
Entitled to your opinion. I think getting a 2026 1st and Zellers is good for Seth at 15% and taking back Miles Wood. Then swapping Ritchie for Korchinski, while not my favorite deal out there, I'd consider.

If you are going to move Korchinsky it should only be for an overpay. Why move him just to move him?? Also hes young and development isnt linear and hes already shown flashes of upside.
 
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If you are going to move Korchinsky it should only be for an overpay. Why move him just move him?? Also hes young and development isnt linear and hes already shown flashes of upside.
He looked really good in his recent callup, really good first pass exiting the zone. Thats a natural skill there. And it is going to yield results when the team's skill level is increased.

Personally I think he belongs up here now.
 
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I’d be fine with retaining 15% and adding Korchinski to get something good in return.

Jones @ 15%
Korchinski

Will Zellers
Miles Wood
Callum Ritchie
2026 1st

Korchinski has gotten better defensively but I don’t think he’s ever going to be stout there. Levshunov has shown me more this year on the PP (and I think Rinzel profiles there really well too) so then you start to wonder where he really fits.

Part of this too is I don’t like Korchinski’s game that much obviously, but I also really like Zellers. Even if you like Korchinski’s game more than me, I still think the long term fit on the PP is definitely in question regardless. Which was one of the reasons he was a top prospect in the first place.

Yuck
 
Lots of teams have plenty of cap space to add Jones if they wish to spend. However, some teams won't spend to the cap anyway, even if they have space.

Some teams have cap space galore but are not contenders yet, so they wouldn’t waive for those situations. His agent prefers top contenders and tax-advantage jurisdictions, like Texas or Florida.

I assume there will be no retention unless the Hawks can retain only a partial amount for the remainder of this season, plus maybe 1 or 2 years of the 5 years remaining on the $9.5M contract starting next season. If that’s allowed, the Hawks might retain 2 or 3 years max on a sliding scale. For example, 50% retention for the remainder of this season, 50% next season, 25% in the following season, and 10% the season after, with zero retention for the final 2 seasons. If the CBA allows for such a sliding scale and limited retention on the term remaining, the Hawks could do something like this if it helps the acquiring team and increases the assets coming back.

Potential destinations for Jones:
  • Tampa Bay ($12.575M cap space for 2025-26): Too tight unless the Hawks retain a large chunk, which probably rules them out.
  • Colorado ($7.336M cap space for next season): Forget them.
  • Edmonton ($16.397M cap space): Possible, but not a tax-advantaged situation.
  • Vegas ($16.79M cap space for next season): Maybe he goes there?
  • New Jersey ($18.95M cap space for next season): Maybe he goes there?
  • Florida: No state income tax and $21.3M in cap space for next season. But do they need him?
  • Los Angeles ($25.711M cap space for next season): A high-tax state, but they might be interested. They have some prospects the Hawks might want, so this could be a possible trade partner.
  • Toronto ($26.89M cap space for next season): But if they pay Marner $15-16 million per year, they’d probably need to shed Tavares, even with a reduced extension. Toronto is supposedly making a deal with Tavares, but if it's for $4-5 million, that leaves no room for Jones unless they dump Morgan Rielly. There would need to be a reshuffling, and I'm not sure if Minton and picks would be a good enough return for Jones in a trade with them.
  • Dallas ($33.25M cap space for 2025-26): Jones would love a tax-free state like Texas. This landing spot has a high chance if the Dallas prospect pool has targets the Hawks would like.
  • Washington: They have a lot of cap space. Ryan Leonard 1-for-1 is probably not a chance, but maybe if we throw in our 2025 Leafs pick and some other prospects? If we could extract Leonard in a blockbuster deal, that would be great.
  • Winnipeg ($43.7M cap space): Can’t see Jones wanting to go there despite their great record this season, and they don’t need him.
  • Carolina: They have huge cap space available, but do they need defensemen? Doubt it.
So, some teams with plenty of cap space are not destinations Jones would want to go to, while other teams would have to dump contracts to fit him. Some teams have the cap space but not the picks or prospects the Hawks would want back.

If a blockbuster for a top prospect can be made involving the Hawks giving more assets than just Jones to get someone like Ryan Leonard, then that’s the type of hockey trade that could benefit both teams. Nobody expected Washington to contend this season, but they have surprised. Finishing high means lower draft picks, so maybe they consider making a run for the Cup with Jones, along with some Hawks picks and prospects in return for their top prospect (Leonard).

I hope we can pull off that kind of blockbuster.

I rarely log in to comment.

This is amazing. Not only funny as hell but also extremely helpful. This account will likely be the greatest contribution this forum has ever had.
 
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