Jones delivers blunt assessment on Blackhawks’ performance vs. Utah
It’s all culminated in Tuesday’s loss against the Utah Hockey Club, where the score was just 2-1 but the Blackhawks were out-attempted 93-39 — something defenceman Seth Jones was not too pleased about.
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The Chicago Blackhawks are, to put it mildly, not having a great time.
They sit second-to-last in the league, blossoming superstar Connor Bedard is evidently not immune to the sophomore slump and the veterans brought in by general manager Kyle Davidson are doing little to speed the rebuild process along.
The frustration was evident after Tuesday’s loss against the Utah Hockey Club. The score was just 2-1 but the Blackhawks were out-attempted 93-39 — something defenceman Seth Jones was not too pleased about.
“We’re the exact same team right now as we were in Game 1,” Jones told reporters after the game. “It’s pretty evident out there. We haven’t made any strides to be a better, more simple hockey team, and it shows.
“It’s been almost four years at the bottom of the league, it’s not just this year, at least for me.”
Jones potted the team’s lone goal on the power play to open the scoring, but believes the Blackhawks should have lost by much more than they did and credits goalie Arvid Soderblom for keeping them within striking distance.
“Sodey was unbelievable. We had zero chance of winning, if he didn’t stand on his head.
“We had no business being in that game,” Jones added, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Jones has not been shy about his frustration with the Blackhawks’ constant losing. Last Wednesday, Pope reported that Jones and the team were discussing the possibility of a trade, with the d-man touting his desire to win a Stanley Cup as the reason.
“I would like to give myself a chance to win in my career,” Jones explained at the time.
The trade deadline is March 7, and the Blackhawks are expected to shop Jones to find the best fit for the 30-year-old.
Jones signed an eight-year, $76-million contract with the Blackhawks shortly after he was traded from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the summer of 2021, carrying a cap hit of $9.5 million and making him the fourth-highest paid defenceman in the NHL.
Jones has six goals and 20 assists in 40 games this season for the 17-34-7 Blackhawks.
