The Blue Jackets announced today that they have signed 21-year-old defenseman, Seth Jones, to a six year contract extension that will keep him in Union Blue through the 2021-22 season.
https://twitter.com/generalfanager/status/748189569296793600
https://twitter.com/generalfanager/status/748191556323151874
Jones had been the target of the January Ryan Johnansen trade with Nashville that was viewed to finally bring a number one defenseman to the Columbus team.
Do you remember when the Jones trade happened? From January, this is why we thought it was an excellent pickup https://t.co/bFKHgh9eAs #CBJ
— Buckeye State Hockey (@BuckeyeStHockey) June 29, 2016
The trade saw Jones’ ice time escalate quickly, and while his role changed, he responded more than favorably to the heightened responsibility. The following charts show the change in Jones’ role comparing Nashville to Columbus according to Micah’s teammates and competition charts:
All the while, according to Corsica.hockey, after coming to Columbus, Jones was able to maintain the second highest ES CF% at 49.51%, higher than the team season average of 48.03 as you can see in this chart from our own, Matt Souva (using data from War on Ice).
Jones upped his point production the second half of the season, and led the club in rostered defensemen ending at 2-18-20 in 41 games with Columbus after posting 1-10-11 in 40 games with Nashville. He also tied with his defensive partner, Ryan Murray, for second most primary points among the defense with seven.
With the team honing in on Jones as a significant part of the team’s core, and the Jackets well-documented salary cap woes, there was much speculation on an offer sheet, but Columbus and Jones were able to squelch all that this morning.
#CBJ D Seth Jones said he had no thoughts of signing an offer sheet (July 1). Said he wanted to be here.
— Tom Reed (@treed1919) June 29, 2016
With Jones officially on the books for the long haul, the Jackets trust that they have more confidence and skill on the blue line for the future.
Jarmo: "(Jones) has everything you look for in a defenseman & is going to be a very important player & leader on our team for many years.”
— Rob Mixer (@RobMixer) June 29, 2016
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