Jones says Blackhawks haven’t improved all season
Published
The Chicago Blackhawks dropped their fourth straight game Tuesday night and continue to toil at the bottom of the league, sitting last in the Central Division and 31st in the overall standings.
All the losing is appearing to get to veteran defenceman Seth Jones, who said after the 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Utah Hockey Club that he hasn’t seen any improvement from his team all season.
"I think we’re the exact same team right now as we were in Game 1. It’s pretty evident out there. We haven’t made any strides to be a better, more simple hockey team, and it shows. We don't get a lot of wins because of that,” he told reporters.
"This has been almost four years of (being at the) bottom of the league, so it's not just this year, for me at least."
Jones scored Chicago’s only goal Tuesday night with the Blackhawks being dominated in shots (36-22), face-offs won (40-25) and penalty minutes (12-6). Jones pointed directly to the penalties as being a major factor in another loss for the Blackhawks.
"It puts a ton of pressure on Sody (goalie Arvid Soderblom), it just kills momentum. If you have one or two good shifts in a row and then you take a penalty - three in the first, two in the second...10 minutes is a long time on the kill, you don't get the flow of the guys offensively, now guys have to sit, and it's tough to get anything going,” he said.
Soderblom was one of the only bright spots for Chicago as he stopped 34 of 36 shots.
“Definitely staying out of the box is key. But I’ll say it again, (Soderblom) was unbelievable. We have zero chance of winning if he doesn’t stand on his head,” Jones said.
Jones signed an eight-year, $76 million deal in the Windy City ahead of the 2021-22 season but his club hasn’t sniffed the postseason at any time during that span, placing either last or second last in the Central Division in each of Jones’ first three seasons. They’re trending that way again in 2024-25 as the Blackhawks sit six points shy of the seventh-place Nashville Predators with one game in hand.
TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston mentioned Jones as a potential trade candidate on Tuesday night’s edition of Insider Trading, reporting the veteran blueliner would likely waive his no-movement clause to play for the Dallas Stars. Johnston detailed that Jones spent time in the Dallas-Fort Worth area during his childhood and the Stars have had interest in him in the past. However, Johnston notes the Blackhawks would likely have to eat some money as the 30-year-old Jones is due $9.5 million annually in each of the next five seasons, which would make it difficult for the Stars or any other contender to swing a deal for him.
The native of nearby Arlington, Texas has seven goals and 20 assists for 27 points in 41 games this season for Chicago.