Jones Tears PCL

Oilers forward Ryan Jones left Friday night’s victory over the Ducks with what looked like a leg injury. That was confirmed today by coach Dallas Eakins, who told reporters that Jones tore the PCL in his knee and will miss the remainder of the season. Eakins also went on to say the Oilers will not call-up a forward from OKC, and that the team will dress seven defenders on Sunday night.

Jones has been a fixture in Edmonton’s bottom six this season. He tested the free agent waters in July, but eventually settled on a one-year contract with the Oilers. Jones struggled big time in training camp and was actually sent to Oklahoma City for a period of time before returning due to injuries.

Jones hasn’t exactly impressed this season. His offensive production is way down from his first few seasons in Edmonton, and his underlying numbers are not exactly great either. While Jones is not a problem on this roster, he certainly in not a solution for the Oilers. He’s looked weak at times, and Dallas Eakins has used him far less than Tom Renney and even Ralph Krueger did.

Jones returning to Edmonton after this season likely was not happening. Edmonton is looking for veterans to win battles and compete hard, and the pending UFA likely would have been allowed to walk in order to bring in a different kind of bottom six player. Jones was a serviceable player for few seasons, but has struggled the last two.

Jones has just six points, two goals, in 52 games with the team this season. While his +/- is currently an even, his underlying numbers suggest he isn’t exactly pushing the possession in the right direction One might argue that he is one of those “non-factors” that MacT talked about last April.

Last night was likely the last time Oilers fans will see Jones in an Oilers jersey. He brought something for two seasons to Edmonton, but for whatever reason he fell off the map rather quickly, struggling mightily the last two seasons. Jones seems like a good and well-liked guy, but his future does not appear to be with the Oilers.

It stinks to see a guy like Jones lose the rest of his season because of injury, and it’s a tough break to have such a large injury happen right before free agency. I wish Jones a speedy recovery and all the best moving forward, but this injury likely signals the end of Jones’ Oilers career.

As for the rest of the season, Edmonton will likely be getting Nail Yakupov back in the near future, and eventually he will slide up front to give Edmonton the usual 12 F/ 6 D format. Until then, with the Barons in the heat of the playoff chase, the Oilers will go with seven defenders, likely bringing Philip Larsen back into the lineup given his skill set.