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Columbus Blue Jackets Seth Jones Norris Trophy Outlook

By Aaron Winland

COLUMBUS, OH - JANUARY 12: Seth Jones #3 of the Columbus Blue Jackets warms up before a game against the Vancouver Canucks on January 12, 2018 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - JANUARY 12: Seth Jones #3 of the Columbus Blue Jackets warms up before a game against the Vancouver Canucks on January 12, 2018 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Columbus Blue Jackets All-Star defenseman Seth Jones has the easiest path to the Norris Trophy for a Blue Jacket, but is it possible?

At the end of each regular season and before the puck is dropped on the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association vote on many NHL awards. Those awards include the Norris Trophy which goes to the top defenseman in the league.

Unfortunately, Jones has a great deal of competition around the league. Jones’ 30 points have him tied for 9th place overall with former Norris winner Drew Doughty (note: all stats prior to 1/17/2018’s games).

Seth Jones‘ 30 points currently lead all Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman, with Zach Werenski’s 21 being the closest.

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Above Jones in the standings include other fdsormer Norris Trophy winners Brent Burns and P.K. Subban.

Burns won the Norris last season with a league-leading 76 total points in addition to a plus/minus (+/-) of 19.  However, having the most overall points doesn’t necessarily mean that person will win the trophy.

Doughty won the trophy for his performance during the 2015-2016 season.  He finished 9th in points with 51, but he finished with a +/- of 24. For comparison, Jones’ current +/- stat leaves room for improvement at -1.

This season’s current front-runners include Dallas Stars’ John Klingberg, Tampa Bay Lightning’s Victor Hedman, Saint Louis Blues’ Alex Pietrangelo, and Los Angeles Kings’ Doughty.

Other players on the outside looking in are Jones, Washington Capitals’ John Carlson, San Jose Sharks’ Burns, and Nashville Predators’ Subban. Many of these players are in the top ten in scoring and also putting up high +/- statistics.

Forecast for Jones Winning the Norris in 2018

To move up the front-runners’ list, the CBJ need to restart their offense and defense with Jones leading the way. He will also need to become more of a shut-down defenseman.

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The removal of the “Safe is Death” mantra may assist with these goals, although Jones will need to continue scoring in the offensive zone as well.

I give Jones a high chance of making it into the top three if the Blue Jackets get back on the winning track this season. However, Klingberg and Hedman are currently running away with the race. It will be very hard for Jones to catch either of them to finish on top.

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