Seth Jones resolutely locked into Blackhawks rebuild

Last July, the Blackhawks acquired defenseman Seth Jones in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Over a year later, Jones has played under three head coaches, seen key players dealt and is now a crucial piece in the team's rebuild.

That's probably not what Jones predicted when he signed an eight-year contract about a week after coming to Chicago.

"It was a little frustrating to see that at first," Jones said. "It's not really what I, or anybody, had in mind, looking back a couple years. But it is what it is. It's going to make a lot of us better in here. We'll be patient with each other and help each other through this."

Frustrating is one way to describe it. This team was a potential playoff contender when Jones signed, but since the Hawks got off to a wretched start to open last season, this year's version is almost assuredly a draft lottery team.

But Jones is standing by it all.

"I don't have any regrets from my decision," he said. "I look at it as an opportunity to become a better player, which I need to do. Score goals, be more offensive, be better defensively and be a key piece to this team moving forward."

If the Blackhawks are to make strides in a couple of years, they need exactly that out of Jones, especially given the uncertainty around Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

This guy is going to have to be the guy.

And that means sticking with the plan, but that doesn't change anything come game time.

"Looking at the bigger picture for sure," Jones said. "Patience is going to be important this year, but at the same time, we're going into every game trying to win. We're going to have to be a disciplined team this year, a structured team, make sure teams earn their wins and their goals against. We can't be giving up anything for free this year. We're going to have to play a team game to make it happen, but we can do it."

Fellow defenseman Connor Murphy is on the same page.

"It's really hard to do develop a lot of relationships and get close with guys," Murphy said, "but you understand it's a business ... and I think you just have to worry about showing your best every day no matter who you're playing with, what the team is, whether people have high expectations, low expectations because all it matters is how you're performing on the ice and making sure that you're winning games how you can."

Murphy is another veteran defenseman who is an essential piece of this team, along with 35-year-old Stanley Cup winner Jack Johnson and Jake McCabe.

It may not be the same team fans see in however many years this rebuild takes, but for now, these are the players who will guide the next generation of Blackhawk defensemen into their roles.

"We do have other older defensemen, McCabe and Jones, both Joneses and Jack Johnson, obviously," Murphy said. "So I don't think it feels (like) any guy feels pressure to feel like they have to go out of their way and lead in a specific way. So I think that is the best way for tapping organically when you have guys have experienced that everyone can follow."

New coach Luke Richardson is looking to ramp up the tempo on the ice. He explained Thursday after practice that he wants to play "an aggressive style of defense."

And he believes Jones is a great fit for it.

"He'll be a great guy to close gaps with that long reach and he's got the skill when he does it to make a quick transition," Richardson said. "And like I said, he's a great skater, long stride, but I think he could be sneaky quick and join that rush, maybe catch some forwards sleeping and add that fourth dimension on the offense a lot of times, not every time, but the times where it's presented for him."

Jones grew up in pro athlete household. His father, Ronald "Popeye" Jones played the NBA for about 10 years, and his brother, Caleb, plays alongside him on the Hawks.

So Jones has a feel for what sports look like and how things work as a business.

None of that makes this easy. He signed on with the Blackhawks thinking they could be a playoff team, and now, they are at square zero. But with an eight-year contract, he's locked in and will be one of the most important pieces to this rebuilding puzzle.