Trade Rumor: Seth Jones to Toronto Maple Leafs for superstar' per Elliot Friedman

 

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in for a long summer. Toronto was predicted to make a deep run in the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the team was eliminated from title contention in the first round by the Boston Bruins, leaving Toronto to reflect on what went wrong.

The Maple Leafs' offence struggled in the series despite having a star-studded roster, but it doesn't necessarily mean they won't concentrate on improving it in the offseason. On Monday's episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman floated three names that the Maple Leafs would be interested in bringing over, suggesting that the blueline could be a focus area for Toronto during the offseason.

One name Friedman mentioned (h/t NHL Trade Rumors)  was Seth Jones, who has spent the last three seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks. Success has been hard to come by for the Blackhawks in Jones' tenure in Windy City and it could take a few years before the franchise turns into a legitimate Stanley Cup contender that the Maple Leafs are, notwithstanding the heartbreaks in the playoffs. It is also important to note that Jones, the son of former NBA power forward Popeye Jones, has a No Movement Clause, though, he might waive that privilege if it meant going to a contender.

On Monday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast, Elliotte Friedman suggested that Marner could waive his no-move clause in order to play out the last year of his deal somewhere else. That “somewhere else”, Friedman says, could be the Blackhawks.

Jones also inked an eight-year, $76 million contract with Chicago in 2021, at which point the Columbus Blue Jackets traded him to the Blackhawks. He has a $9.5 million cap hit until the 2029–2030 season, at which point he will turn 35.

Brett Pesce, a defenceman for the Carolina Hurricanes, was another name Friedman mentioned. The Canes are currently in the thick of their second-round series with the New York Rangers, but with Pesce's contract expiring and his impending unrestricted free agency, the front office of the team will soon need to discuss the player's future with the organization. Pesce, who has worn a Hurricanes uniform for his entire NHL career, has 39 goals and 159 assists in the league.