Seth Jones Lands on the Trading Block and Could Very Well End Up With the Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have improved a lot on the blueline this year, but the sudden availability of Seth Jones in Chicago could be the answer to the Leafs' prayers.
Heading into the summer of 2024, it was the worst-kept secret in the league that the Leafs were going to focus most of their attention and available cap dollars to shoring up the blueline.
Long had the Leafs been linked to Toronto native Christopher Tanev. When they pulled off a trade to acquire Tanev's rights from the Dallas Stars prior to the end of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, it became abundantly clear that the two sides would strike a deal, which they did on July 1st -- a 6-year pact worth $4.5M per season.
The Leafs also added Stanley Cup champion Oliver Ekman-Larsson to the fold on July 1st. So far, these two moves have really appeared to have a stabilizing effect on the back end. However, there's still room for improvement, and, as it turns out, the Blackhawks have just made Seth Jones available, according to The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta.
Pagnotta also revealed that Jones is set to earn $5M per season for the duration of the contract via bonus payments each summer between now and the 2029-30 season.
While the Leafs have a much greater need at center at the moment, with their eyes potentially locked onto New York Islanders center Brock Nelson Seattle Kraken pivot Yanni Gourde, the opportunity to land a player like Seth Jones doesn't come up all that often.
If the Blackhawks are amenable to retaining salary, as per Pagnotta's report, and if the Leafs can find a way to drag a third team into a trade for additional salary retention purposes, they could potentially put together one of the deepest blueline cores in the entire National Hockey League.
We know that Leafs GM Brad Treliving values a big, strong blueline. Seth Jones, at 6'4" and 213 pounds, definitely adds some size and skill to the right side. He'd certainly be a massive improvement over a player like Conor Timmins, Philippe Myers or the injured Jani Hakanpaa.
The term associated with Jones' contract is what may make a deal with salary retention a bit more complicated. Convincing not one, but two teams to retain salary for the next 5 years is a daunting task to be sure. However, if the Leafs were to enter the playoffs with a D corps that consists of Morgan Rielly, Seth Jones, Jake McCabe, Chris Tanev, Simon Benoit and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, it could certainly help change their postseason fortunes.
Pagnotta has not linked any teams to Jones as of yet, but if he's available, the Leafs would be wise to at least check in on the asking price, because for as much improvement as they've seen on the back end this season, adding a player like Jones into the mix could certainly provide one hell of a boost. Brad Treliving knows this, and knowing what we know about how much he values a solid blueline, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him pivot at the deadline and nab Jones instead of someone like Nelson or Gourde. Time will tell.
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