Seth Jones Wants Out Of Columbus, Will Not Re-Sign With Blue Jackets
The Columbus fire sale is coming. It feels eerily similar to the 2019 offseason for the Blue Jackets when Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Matt Duchene all skipped town. After a rough season under John Tortorella, players want no part of this organization. Even after Torts was fired, Seth Jones has made it clear he will not re-sign with Columbus when his contract expires a year from now.
Elliotte Friedman reported the news:
“We can tell you that sometime in the last week or so, Seth Jones informed the Columbus Blue Jackets that he will not be re-signing. I’m saying ’for now’ at this point because I don’t like to deal in absolutes. But it does appear as if he is prepared to test free agency and we’ll see how Columbus decides to handle this over the next little while.”
Jones, 26, is under contract through the 2021-22 season for $5.4 million. The skilled defenseman was acquired in a swap with Nashville for Ryan Johansen. It was a trade that couldn’t have worked out better for the Blue Jackets. Johansen has turned into a bad contract with Nashville while Jones is one of the best defensemen in the NHL.
We’re probably looking at a full tear down here with the Jackets. Pierre Luc-Dubois dropped a bomb right before the start of the 2020 season when he requested a trade. A trade that netted Patrik Laine but he became unhappy quick. Especially when Torts hated him. Laine is now a restricted free agent and probably won’t return either.
After a 18-26-12 season in a loaded Central division, it’s hard to blame Jones for wanting out. In 56 games, Jones scored 28 points on a brutal offense in Columbus. More importantly, he averaged more than 25 minutes of ice time per game. This is a top tier defenseman that can change the landscape of a team. A trade seems imminent and will become one of the biggest stories this offseason.
