Defenseman Seth Jones got what he wanted.
Instead of playing out the string yet again with the Blackhawks, Jones was dealt Saturday to the defending Stanley Cup-champion Panthers, who were a point off the Atlantic Division lead through Sunday. Speaking to reporters Monday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Jones, who requested a trade, said Florida was at the top of his list for playing with a contending team.
The Hawks never came close to that level while Jones was in Chicago.
“It’s obviously been a tough three, four years there in Chicago,” Jones said. “It’s not what I envisioned when I signed there [after being traded] a few years ago. When it came to my game, I was just putting so much on myself, trying to do it all and that wasn’t the right thing, obviously. It was hard mentally day-to-day.”
Back in Chicago, Monday night against the Kings was the Blackhawks’ first home game since the trade. And while many home fans at the United Center probably won’t miss Jones not playing up to his bloated contract and the exorbitant price former general manager Stan Bowman paid to pry him from the Blue Jackets, a prominent former teammate was not glad to see him go.
“Of course, whenever you lose a teammate, it [stinks],” center Connor Bedard said Monday morning. “You build relationships with these guys, and Jonesy meant a lot to our team.”
An alternate captain, Jones was averaging 24:30 of ice time per game to lead the Hawks. He was fifth on the team and tops among all defensemen with 27 points in just 42 games.
That effect is what mattered to Bedard.
“On the ice, he was playing 25 minutes a night, obviously a big impact,” Bedard said. “And off the ice, a leader in our room. It’s a weird feeling, but of course for him he’s excited about the opportunity to go compete for a Cup, so we’re excited for him.”
Just kidding
Interim Hawks coach Anders Sörensen put Bedard on a line with fellow youngsters Frank Nazar and Landon Slaggert. Sörensen said the trio’s speed wasn’t the only reason they could fit together.
“They complement each other in different areas,” Sörensen said. “Slaggert does a lot of the work along the walls, finding pucks and Frankie and Connor, IQ and pace of play. Excited to see them together. We’ll give them a shot here together and hopefully stick with it here.”
Per Natural Stat Trick, this will be Bedard’s 38th line combination of the season to take two or more five-on-five faceoffs. In that situation entering Monday, Bedard and Nazar had played together for 114:31 with the Hawks getting outshot 85-45. Bedard and Slaggert, meanwhile, had been together for 71:43 and the Hawks outshot opponents 35-31.
Odds and ends
Forward Philipp Kurashev (hand) was placed on injured reserve, retroactive to Feb. 27. Defenseman Louis Crevier was recalled from AHL Rockford. Sörensen said it would depend on the next couple days whether Kurashev misses more than a week.
– Captain Nick Foligno (back) is day-to-day after missing Saturday’s win over the Ducks. Jason Dickinson (left ankle) was on the ice before the morning skate and Sörensen said his recovery is going in the right direction but is “going to be some time.”
Contributing: Ben Pope