But they're still undeniably weak on some areas of the ice, and one of them is the defense.
That is where the Blackhawks and their cache of talent come into play, as GM Stan Bowman is looking to add to the blueline according to 32 Thoughts Podcast Elliotte Friedman.
GM Stan Bowman wants to add a top-four defenseman to upgrade a thin defense that includes Ty Emberson, and Travis Dermott who is serviceable at best.
There have been names such as Connor Murphy of the Blackhawks thrown around, along with Matt Benning(now a Maple Leaf), and Cam Fowler as reinforcements on the blue line.
But how would GM Stan Bowman make a trade for a defenseman like Jones, who carries a good-size salary cap hit?
The Oilers would make a huge leap in defensive capabilities by adding Jones to the top-pairing. If he was added to the same pair as Darnell Nurse, it'd be a punishing, two-way duo for the Oilers.
His $9.5 Million salary cap hit would be an obstacle to adding him to the team, which only has $4.7 Million in cap space. It seems likely that Kyle Davidson would have to agree to retain his contract, in addition, if need be to bring in a third team to complete a trade like this.
Bowman is originally the GM who brought Jones into Chicago, and the defenseman had different expectations when he joined the squad in 2021.
Since then he's been through a whirlwind of coaching changes, and a GM change going from Stan Bowman to Kyle Davidson.
Would you trade Seth Jones to the Edmonton Oilers in a three-way trade?
POLL | ||
Who would you trade first to the Edmonton Oilers? | ||
Connor Murphy | 33 | 18.8 % |
Seth Jones | 143 | 81.3 % |
List of polls |