One of the names that might be available this offseason is Seth Jones of the Columbus Blue Jackets. .Jones has one more year on his current deal and is a pending UFA at the end of the 2021-22 season. He’s informed the Blue Jackets that he doesn’t intend to sign an extension during the season and while the team is hoping he’ll change his mind, there’s a lot of talk that he’ll be moved.
The moment it was reported he could be leaving the team, insiders and media started speculating as to where the best fit would be. Is he looking for a hockey market? Might he want to go to a big, U.S.-based city? Is he seeking an opportunity with a contender? What are his priorities, or is it simply about him wanting to get the hell out of Columbus?
Mike Johnston of Sportsnet cites reports that there are a few teams leading the way as it pertains to teams who might call and kick tires on the Norris Trophy-caliber defenseman. Among them, the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks.
The Los Angeles Kings
Aaron Portzline of The Athletic wrote earlier this week the Kings are the early favourites. If they were somehow able to land him, their top-two, right side defenseman would be Jones and Drew Doughty, which is a scary thought. The Kings have a number of prospects they could trade, perhaps the deepest crop in the NHL, and there’s certainly something there that would interest the Blue Jackets.
Quinton Byfield, Arthur Kaliyev, Gabe Vilardi, Rasmus Kupari, Akil Thomas and Alex Turcotte could all be dangled, but the Kings might want to know what Jones’ plans are past the 2021-22 season if they’re giving up a couple of these assets.
Related: Oilers’ McDavid Should Be Upset, But Not for the Reasons You’d Think
The Edmonton Oilers
If the Oilers could, somehow, manage to work a trade with the Blue Jackets, it would give them Darnell Nurse as their top-pair left-shot defenseman with Jones as their top-pair right-shot defenseman. This is a bit of an exaggeration, but no one else would need to play as these two guys could easily log close to 30 minutes each a night.
This would likely mean that Adam Larsson and Tyson Barrie are both leaving, with Ethan Bear left to back up Jones on the right side. We’d say Evan Bouchard would be available, but our guess is that the Blue Jackets would be asking for Bouchard as part of any trade.
Would GM Ken Holland be willing to part with a young prospect like Bouchard or Phillip Broberg if it meant having two Norris-Trophy caliber defenseman in your top pair? I think the answer would be yes if you could ensure that Jones was willing to sign an extension for multiple years at around $8 million per season.
There’s also a potential brother connection as Caleb Jones is currently part of the Oilers organization.
The Chicago Blackhawks
Portzline also reported the Blackhawks could become “major players”, but how much Stan Bowman or any GM is willing to give up would largely depend on whether Jones signs an extension. The Blackhawks have picks from the Mattias Janmark trade, along with assets like Adam Boqvist, Nicolas Beaudin, Alec Regula or Ian Mitchell. They also have the 11th-overall pick following Wednesday’s draft lottery results.
Chicago fits Jones desire to be in a big hockey U.S market, but how competitive that team will be moving forward isn’t entirely clear.
Who Isn’t in the Seth Jones Running?
While their name has been tossed out there, the Toronto Maple Leafs are not likely a player on the Jones front. Not only do they not have much cap room to play with, but they have Morgan Rielly’s future deal to think about, Zach Hyman as a UFA and they aren’t looking at giving up what it would take to get Jones as a rental, which is essentially what he’d be for the Maple Leafs.
Next: Only Playoff Series Wins Will Erase Maple Leafs Fans’ Anger
Dan Sovocool
June 5, 2021 at 1:27 pm
I think Jones is the type of player Chicago would go all in for. Would Reichel be attractive to Columbus as part of the trade package?
Pingback: Flyers' Nolan Patrick to Request Trade Out of Philadelphia