With Seth Jones set to become an unrestricted free agent in 14 months, the Columbus Blue Jackets can't possibly go into the final season of his contract with him unsigned... right?
Per CBA rules, Jones is eligible to sign an extension with the Blue Jackets on July 1st, at which point Columbus could make the defenseman among the highest-paid defensemen in the world. Per various reports, they could also offer the 26-year old the captaincy.
Per Sportsnet's Chris Johnston, "the Columbus Blue Jackets have asked him (Jones) to consider would he look at doing an extension at some point in this offseason. He's taking the weekend to mull it over and think things through, and I would expect somewhere here in the next few days that he'll get back to the Blue Jackets with where he's at and whether he will entertain talks on an extension now."
If this feels like déjà vu, it should. The Blue Jackets famously (infamously?) held Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky in their lame-duck season, doubling down by bringing in other pending UFAs Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel, etc.
But comparing that 2019 team to today's is hardly fair. That team was competitive. This team is competing for a top-five pick in the draft... which is why the Blue Jackets should not treat the Jones contract saga like they did with Panarin.
From The Athletic's Aaron Portzline:
In keeping with the way the Jackets handled the pending unrestricted free agency of Artemi Panarin two years ago, Kekalainen told The Athletic on Thursday that he’s willing to keep Jones well into next season without an extension in place.
“We still have one year left on (Jones’) contract,” Kekalainen said. “We’re not going to let a player of that caliber go without doing everything in our toolbox to convince him to stay.
“I would do everything we can to get him to stay, which means fighting to the bitter end and hopefully getting the right result.”
This offseason ranks among the most important in the franchise's history, as the organization is at several major crossroads. Can they extend Jones? Who will be the new coach? How will they position themselves (if at all) for the Seattle expansion draft? Will they use all three first-round draft picks? Are they really retooling? Or is this a full-on rebuild?
Frankly, none of these questions can be answered until there is some clarity surrounding Jones' situation. An extension would signal to a free agent coach that this team intends to stay competitive, instead of embracing what could become a lengthy rebuild. It could also portend trading a first-round pick (or two?) for immediate help on the roster.
The worst-case scenario, losing Jones after 2022 for nothing, would be devastating from both a roster construction and an organizational optics standpoint.
Somewhat ironically, signing Jones to a contract extension could become a problem for the club down the road. Still, the benefits of signing him outweigh any future issues. Per CapFriendly, Erik Karlsson ($11.5M), Drew Doughty ($11M), Roman Jose ($9.06M), P.K. Subban ($9M), and Alex Pietrangelo ($8.8M) are the five highest-paid defensemen in the NHL. Karlsson and Subban are both wildly overpaid compared to their current market value. Doughty, who was better this year than the prior few, is being compensated for yesteryear. Josi and Pietrangelo are both 30, and while both are still top-end players today, it's likely that both Nashville and Vegas could be singing a different tune in 2027 or 2028.
But that's the risk the Blue Jackets have to take. For a franchise that has had a difficult time - or at least the perception of a difficult time - locking up key players long-term, a Jones signing would be a sign of legitimacy, both to the local marketplace as well as the NHL, generally.
If it appears Jones won't sign this summer, the Blue Jackets should use the summer - where there is more salary-cap flexibility than during the season - to spring a trade. He would immediately become the marquee defenseman on the market, and would theoretically garner more than he would at the trade deadline. Plus, if the Blue Jackets found themselves in the playoff race by the trade deadline, it would be gutting to trade him.
But not as gutting as losing him a few months later for nothing.
