It was quite a bit of a surprise to see that Seth Jones was up for a potential trade this season, as the veteran defenseman could be a great veteran for Chicago's young roster that's coming in the next few seasons.
But it's that timeframe that is irking Jones, and leading to his request for a trade. It's nothing personal, but Jones is focused on winning and with Chicago in a rebuild; he needs to think of his career now:
So with Jones looking to get a Stanley Cup before his career starts to really wind down, who could potentially pick him up? How much exactly is he going to cost as well?
It's unsurprising that Jones wants to win as he's only made the playoffs five times in his career and has never really made it too far.
He's been on some pretty rough Blackhawks team that hasn't been successful in the last few seasons, and it's clear he's fed up.
But not fed up in the angry sense, but fed up with the lack of playoff success and his humble nature, and ability to play hard and for his team even if they are in a bad spot shows his maturity and ability to put the team above himself (as much as he could).
A team who could certainly use a player like Jones is the Toronto Maple Leafs and instantly give them a credible Top-4 with Morgan Rielly, Jake McCabe, and Chris Tanev.
Toronto could offer him one of the best chances of winning, and with Brad Treliving actively needing to make a big splash this trade deadline, grabbing Jones would ensure that.
He isn't going to be cheap with Toronto looking to part ways with at minimum one of their top prospects, a few of their premium draft picks, and potentially a player like Nick Robertson; it's a lot to pay.
But in this day and age of the NHL, you need to have those impact players who can change the game and Jones is one of the better blueliners in the league.
This season, Jones, 30, has had a very solid season with six goals and 20 assists in 38 games, while also adding 78 blocks, 55 hits, and can give Toronto's power play a massive boost.
For his career, Jones has 431 points in 835 games (96 goals, 335 assists) while averaging 137 blocks and 96 hits and averages 23:44 TOI.
The Toronto Maple Leafs want to end their 55+ year Stanley Cup drought, and Seth Jones wants to finally win something meaningful in his career.
The two should come together and help each other out, because at the end of the day Jones is a perfect fit to put them over the top.