Chicago Blackhawks: Jones brothers will make a big impact
It was a really interesting turn of events for the Chicago Blackhawks over the weekend. They made as big of trade as any team in the National Hockey League so far this summer when they acquired Seth Jones from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
It is a trade that allows the Hawks to add someone that is going to be their new number one defenseman for a long time. They gave him an eight-year contract extension upon his arrival at 9.5 million per on top of the one year he had left.
Right before they made the trade, they acquired his brother Caleb Jones in the trade that sent Duncan Keith to the Edmonton Oilers. It was a way of letting Keith get his wish of being traded to Western Canada but it was also a way for the Hawks to improve their team. Jones is a good player on his own but his brother has superstar potential.
When the trade for Caleb Jones was made, it seemed likely that they would at least try to land his brother Seth and they did. This is a dup that can really help the Hawks play much better in their own end. Each of them is going to be a massive upgrade over certain players they were trotting out there last season and the season before.
The Chicago Blackhawks are really hoping to get the most out of the Jones brothers.
The fact that they are both on the same team now might even allow them to take another step forward as individuals. We have already seen what Seth Jones can do at an extremely high level but maybe this brings even more out of Caleb. Add in other good players like Ian Mitchell, Nicolas Beaudin, Connor Murphy, and Calvin de Haan and it could be a pretty nice defense.
The Hawks were very bad defensively in 2020-21. They can score some goals but their depth up front is an issue as well. The addition of the Jones brothers might really help the forwards be better as well. The defensive effort taking a step could lead to even more offense.
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There are plenty of people that are skeptical but there really isn’t a reason to be. They can only go up from here which is nice to hear when it comes to the future. They are starting to move past the teams that won them multiple championships and be more worried about the present and future. Seth and Caleb Jones are both going to really help in that quest.