I imagine you’d have to pay much more for 3M retention for 7 years

The Hawks aren't paying 7 years of retention on Jones. Just silly.

The hawks are just retaining the over pay on the contract. That doesn’t make it worth anything.
If jones was a UFA this summer is he getting more than 6.5x6

Hawks decline. They aren't looking to move Jones, especially if they have to retain $3m for 7 years.

Jones wont waive for canada and if he did chicago isnt retaining for 7 years

I know Minten had a good training camp, but it's a bit much to give him a 10-year top-six career on a cup contender.

Don't worry, he's got "scouts" and those "scouts" are confident that Bedard wont make it in the NHL. He's skill set isn't translatable.

Given he was drafted with 1C potential I think saying he will likely be a solid 2C is probably an understatement given his development

No disrespect meant for Minten but he is only 19 so Hawks probably wouldn’t use him this year anyway. & the Hawks already have Moore & Nazar not to mention a few others in the organization. Your view of the Hawks 2C is from too limited a POV. Could he end up being better the all the prospects Hawks already have? Sure. Likely? Not very at all.
Hawks hang onto Jones until they have a someone ready to be the new number one guy on D in the organization.

Doesn’t matter what the retention is for, you still gotta pay for it. More than 20 million in retention wouldn’t even be entertained by the hawks to begin with but would have such a high price tag by itself that the leafs would never do it.

If a team massively over pays a player and wants to trade him another team has to pay for the retention? That doesn’t make any sense.
Jones is a negative asset at 9.5 for 6 more years.