The left-shot defenceman Caleb Jones has signed a one-year, $0.8 million contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. This is a nice signing for the organization as Jones is a bit of a versatile defender. At 26 years old, the brother of Seth Jones is still waiting to truly hit his potential. This contract could turn into his opportunity to make a name for himself.
Caleb Jones, signed 1x$0.8M by CAR, is a defencemen who put up pretty solid results in second-pair minutes on an awful Hawks team. Not sure I buy the big surge in offence-driving last season and he’s a bit error-prone, but should be a useful blueliner. #LetsGoCanes pic.twitter.com/R4dnB6OkTt
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) August 10, 2023
Caleb Jones Signs Contract
Jones was born in Arlington, Texas. A fourth-round pick to the Edmonton Oilers back in 2015. Thus far in his career, he has played 217 games. Playing with his brother on the Chicago Blackhawks during 2022-23, he played in his career high for games with 73. He chipped in with four goals, and 12 assists for 16 points. The assists and points were also career highs. Furthermore, he played an ATOI of 19:13. Another respectable number was his defensive point share (DPS) at 2.3. There are some signs he might be ready to break out (relatively).
What this Means for the Carolina Hurricanes
In signing Caleb Jones to contract you are picking up a jack-of-all-trades type of defender. He is not afraid to mix it up and his 116 hits are a sign of that fact. Additionally, the upcoming season will be his sixth in the NHL. For a late-blooming defenceman, this can be the time when you expect him to perform. He can now have a level of comfort throughout the league and find some consistency. Also, he will be much less likely to be intimidated by superstars coming in on him on the rush. He started to get some power play time in 2022-23 for the first time in his career. There are a lot of signs, that Caleb Jones is a great piece as a third pair and possible second. Due to their defensive depth this may signal an upcoming trade for Carolina. Nevertheless, the team can take solace in the fact that having Caleb Jones at this point in his career, is a position of strength.
Main Photo Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
