Should the Blackhawks Trade Seth Jones? Pros and Cons for moving the $9.5M defenseman

Seth Jones is back in the spotlight, not for his play, but as trade chatter heats up ahead of the March 7 deadline.

The Blackhawks' defenseman, with his whopping $9.5 million cap hit, has requested a trade from the team.

Should Chicago keep him or get rid of Stan Bowman's horrendous contract handed to the defenseman?

Here are the pros and cons of moving him at the trade deadline:

Pros:

-Trading Jones frees up major cap space. That $9.5 million could let GM Kyle Davidson have another big year in free agency, after bringing in Nick Foligno, Tyler Bertuzzi and others last season, or even take on bad contracts for extra picks

-Jones has been rock solid for a bottom-dwelling Blackhawks team, with 26 points in 40 games, so he could fetch a first-rounder and/or a top prospect from a contender like Colorado, if the Blackhawks were to retain 50% of his salary ($4.75M).

-It opens ice time for young defensemen like Artyom Levshunov who could make the jump to the NHL this season, with only 25 games remaining it's a low-risk move for the Blackhawks, experimenting with their former 2nd overall pick.

Cons:

-Losing Jones guts the blue line. He's the Hawks' top defenseman, eating up 25 minutes a night and mentoring rookies like Kevin Korchinski.

-The timing is tricky. With the cap jumping soon, Jones' deal might not scare buyers off much longer. But at 30, his value's peaking now-wait too long, and it dips.

3 pros and 2 cons, what is your final decision on the Blackhawks trading Seth Jones? Let us know in the poll below!