The cat is out of the bag.
Seth Jones is starting to get noticed, and it's about dang time. After being picked fourth overall in the 2013 NHL Draft, he played behind a star-studded blue line in Nashville. Now, he's realizing the potential many saw in him from day one.
Aaron Portzline of The Athletic summed it up nicely:
"In his two-plus seasons in Columbus, Jones has grown from a gangly, uber-talented youngster into a graceful, powerful man capable of controlling a game from the back end."
With All-Star selections in back to back years, it's unfair to say that he lacked respect around the league. But until this year, it's safe to say it was lacking. Before the season, NHL Network released its rankings of the top 20 defensemen, and Jones was somehow omitted.
As of Wednesday night, Jones ranks high among NHL defensemen in many significant categories. Jones is:
- 13th in the NHL in average time on ice (24:38).
- Tied for 3rd in goals (14), trailing just P.K. Subban and Dougie Hamilton (15).
- Tied for 8th in points with Torey Krug and Drew Doughty (48).
- 2nd in shots (234), trailing only Brent Burns (280).
- Tied for 8th in power play points (18), which is remarkable considering how futile the Jackets' power play has been for much of the year.
Seth Jones with 7 points in his last 3 games. Hes top 10 amongst defencemen in:
— Mike Kelly (@MikeKellyNHL) March 12, 2018
Points
Shot Attempts
Slot Shots
Offensive Zone Puck Possession
Completed Offensive Zone Passes
He's got seven points in his past three games, but that's not even the most impressive statistic in that span: Per the Columbus Dispatch, "with his power-play goal on Monday, Jones became the sixth NHL defenseman to score his team’s winning goal in three consecutive games, joining King Clancy (1933), Eddie Wares (1941), Mike O’Connell (1982), Al MacInnis (1994) and Andrei Markov (2013)."
Meet @seth_jones3. Kid's pretty good at hockey. #MTLvsCBJ pic.twitter.com/FDMGAaYepI
— NHL (@NHL) March 12, 2018
With just 12 games left in the regular season, Jones sits three points away from tying James Wisniewski's franchise record 51-point season by a defenseman. He is also currently tied with Zach Werenski for the franchise lead in goals (14) by defensemen in a single season.
Seth Jones is having quite a Friday night. pic.twitter.com/kLAfNHZbVX
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 10, 2018
Jones passes the eye test, with his easy stride and bomb of a shot. His possession numbers stack up well, too. Among defensemen with 1000 or more 5-on-5 minutes this season, Jones ranks ninth in the NHL in CF% at 54.98%.
But who does Jones compare to in the NHL? I started thinking about his minutes logged, his pedigree, his importance on both the power play and the penalty kill, his size, and his goal-scoring ability.
Nobody fit the billing better than Victor Hedman, the monster defensemen on the Tampa Bay Lightning. His goals (11) and points (51) are similar to Jones, as is his average time on ice (25:59). Hedman has never won the Norris (and he's probably due in his own right), though he finished third in 2016-17. The below chart shows how similar they are – in limited minutes tracked – this season.
In both instances, these defensemen rank in the top percentiles in shot contribution and zone entry/exit metrics. In today's NHL, transporting the puck from your own end to the attacking end is paramount, and these are two of the best in the league.
Visual by CJ Turtoro
Even with his breakthrough season, it's unlikely that Jones will win the Norris Trophy this year, and that's okay. Columbus fans can rest easy knowing they have Seth Jones, age 23, entering his prime on a reasonable $5.4M contract through 2021-22. If he's a bargain now, it'll be criminal to see what that contract could look like in four years.
.@seth_jones3 with the OT winner!#CBJ | @EASPORTSNHL pic.twitter.com/l7baCYWqnN
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) March 9, 2018
And the Blue Jackets should be happy to watch him develop into an even more dynamic player in the coming seasons.
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