The Edmonton Oilers’ need for a reliable top-four right-shot defenseman is obvious. Edmonton is betting on one of Ty Emberson, Troy Stecher, or Josh Brown to play top-four minutes and it’s a serious gamble. Uncertainty or early struggles could lead them to consider a high-profile but risky move: acquiring Seth Jones from the Chicago Blackhawks. At least, that was an idea first floated by ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski as a bold prediction for the 2024-25 NHL season.
Wyshynski took a look at bold predictions for every team and suggested the Blackhawks might move Jones as his polarizing contract looks less and less polarizing thanks to a rising salary cap. He then linked the Oilers to Jones thanks to a connection with Edmonton’s new general manager Stan Bowman.
He writes:
This could be the season where Jones gets moved if the right situation presents itself to GM Kyle Davidson, who is not the GM who traded for and signed Jones to that contract. Funny enough, the general manager who did is now running the Edmonton Oilers, a team that has a much-maligned 26-year-old defenseman making $9.25 million against the cap through 2029-30. Seth Jones-Stan Bowman reunion, when?
source – “Bold predictions for every NHL team for the 2024-25 season’ – Greg Wyshynski – ESPN – 09/26/2024
Adding a player of Jones’ caliber would certainly be an upgrade. That said, it’s not the swing-for-the-fences type of move Edmonton needs to make this season.
The Oilers Defense May Struggle This Season
This offseason, the Oilers lost three key defensemen: Cody Ceci, Vincent Desharnais, and Philip Broberg. All but Broberg were right-shot defensemen who provided depth and flexibility, along with the ability to play top-four minutes. Their departures have left a void on the right side of the Oilers’ defense, making it a critical area for Bowman and CEO Jeff Jackson to address. The early belief is that Ty Emberson (acquired from the San Jose Sharks) can fill the role, but with only 30 NHL games on his resume, that’s not a guarantee.
Meanwhile, Jones is a veteran with a proven ability to log heavy minutes. Logically, Wyshynski might connect the two.
Jones has spent the past few seasons treading water in a tough Chicago Blackhawks situation. He’s a somewhat-steady veteran in their rebuild, playing on one of the worst defensive teams in the league. Despite this, he’s managed to produce respectable numbers. He has 25 goals and 119 points in 217 games with Chicago, all while averaging 25:29 minutes of ice time per game, one of the highest averages in the NHL. Adding someone who could play that type of workload would be invaluable to the Oilers.
So too, adding a top-four defenseman like Jones would balance out the Oilers’ blue line, potentially offering a reliable partner for Darnell Nurse.
The Risk Factor Too Great to Add Jones’ Contract
The biggest hurdle in acquiring Jones is his massive contract. Jones is signed through 2029-30 with an average annual value (AAV) of $9.5 million, making him one of the highest-paid defensemen in the league. The Oilers simply can’t afford that, not with big contracts kicking in for Leon Draisaitl and then coming for Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard.
Related: Oilers’ 1st Round Pick Sam O’Reilly Erasing Doubts With Preseason Play
While Jones is a legitimate top-pairing defenseman, that cap hit is a monster. At 29 years old, Jones isn’t too old, but his contract would take him to his mid-30s and the Blackhawks aren’t about to retain $4 million per season over the next five seasons.
There’s also the question of whether Jones’ underwhelming performance in Chicago is a result of playing on a rebuilding team or a sign indicative of a personal decline. In 217 games with the Blackhawks, Jones has a concerning minus-90 rating, the second-worst in the NHL. Is that because the Blackhawks have been lousy? Or, is that because Jones has?
An Interesting Idea That Isn’t Happening
Key to remember in all of this too is that Jones has a full no-move clause worked into his deal. While players have started to see the Oilers as a top destination to go to and potentially win, Jones can squash any trade talk he wants. Should he decide he’d prefer to stay in Chicago and wait the two or three years it might take for them to contend, he can.
All in all, on paper, the type of player Jones is would be a nice fit for the Oilers. But, when you look at his cap hit, the term left on his deal, and his statistics over the past three seasons, even Stan Bowman doesn’t touch this one.
