The Columbus Blue Jackets have been unable to retain their stars in recent years, with names such as Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky and Matt Duchene all leaving in free agency. The next big name on that list is Seth Jones, who will enter the final season of his six-year, $32.4 million contract in 2021-22 with unrestricted free agency right around the corner. Even though the Blue Jackets would obviously love to sign the Norris contender to a long-term contract to keep him in Columbus, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported on Hockey Night In Canada that the 26-year-old will not sign an extension with the team at this point.
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.
If Jones has told the Blue Jackets he intends to go to the open market, it means Columbus will be forced to at least test the market to see what kind of return would be available with one year remaining on his deal. The Blue Jackets are coming off a brutal season that saw them fall to the very bottom of the Central Division standings at 18-26-12, parted ways with their head coach and traded away their captain Nick Foligno.
Moving Jones would be a huge transaction, but it wouldn’t be the first time the star defender was traded. He arrived in Columbus in a blockbuster five years ago, swapped for up-and-coming center Ryan Johansen. Since then he has turned into one of the very best all-around defensemen in the league, able to contribute offensively while also matching the other team’s best on any given night.
Of course, the Blue Jackets could decide to (and have suggested in the past that they will) keep Jones and use the next 12 months to attempt to change his mind. Jones’ next contract will likely make him one of the highest-paid defenders in the entire league. And as long as the Blue Jackets are willing to pay market value, any growth this summer and next season should be seen as positives.
The Jones situation in Columbus will be one of the most interesting scenarios to keep an eye on through the summer and up to the 2022 trade deadline.
More must-reads: