The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed defenceman Seth Jones to a six-year contract. According to Darren Dreger, the contract has a cap hit worth $5.4 million per season.
6 years. $5.4 AAV for Jones in CBJ.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 29, 2016
Seth Jones Re-signed by Columbus
This signing was seen as the top priority for the Columbus Blue Jackets since acquiring Jones from the Nashville Predators in exchange for Ryan Johansen on January 6, 2016.
Jones, 21, was the fourth overall draft pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. The right-handed defenceman had 3 goals, 28 assists (31 points) and a -14 in the 2015-2016 season. In his 41 games with the Blue Jackets, Jones scored two of his total goals and tallied 18 assists. By the end of the season, Jones was playing, on average, almost five minutes more per game than in Nashville.
In Nashville, Jones saw minimal playing time as a victim of a deep defensive corps led by Shea Weber and Roman Josi. He spent most of his tenure with the Predators on the bottom pairing, the team seeing him as a luxury. Meanwhile, the Jackets were in need of a cornerstone defenceman to fill out the top pair with Ryan Murray. After the trade, the Jones/Murray pairing quickly appeared to be the future of the Blue Jackets blue line for the foreseeable future.
The former Portland Winterhawk and product of the United States National Team Development Program is a heavy defensive presence while suppressing shot attempts and playing an overall smart defensive game.
Jones previously won back-to-back gold medals at the 2011 and 2012 IIHF World U18 Championships. He followed this with another gold medal at the 2013 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Jones will skate as a member of Team North America Under 23 at the upcoming World Cup of Hockey.
Main Photo: COLUMBUS, OH – FEBRUARY 16: on February 16, 2016 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Boston defeated Columbus 2-1 in overtime. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
