Randy Jones was a defenseman whose play I thought got a bad rap in Philly for the most part, probably for two reasons: (1) he was overpaid for his skill level and ability to contribute; and (2) lower-line defensemen always are. They're like the middle relief of hockey—almost never good enough to keep everyone satisfied for very long, but still important to the overall success of the team on a nightly basis. We just seem to forget that guys playing the same roles on other teams aren't much better or worse in most cases.
But when Jones was claimed by the Kings on re-entry waivers, fans were mad for a whole new reason—the Flyers would be paying half his salary (with it counting against the cap) while he played for another team. Well, if that wasn't frustrating enough... he also seems to be fitting into their plans pretty well.
The dreaded ex-is-happier-with-the-new-guy/don't-know-what-you-got-til-it's-gone scenario? Not quite, but Jones is logging a lot more minutes (over 20 for most games), and last night, he scored his third goal and added his fifth assist, giving him 8 points in 10 games for Los Angeles. He had 8 points in 47 games for the Flyers last year...
Oh well. Best we can do is wish him luck out west, where he isn't hurting the Flyers anyway. His full salary would have been too much for the Flyers to have on the big club for any prolonged period of time, and I'm happy to see the next phase of his career is off to a solid start.
Original Story:
http://www.the700level.com/2009/12/ra...
