Columbus Blue Jackets should sit Seth Jones until Panthers Matchup
There is no reason for the Columbus Blue Jackets to rush Seth Jones back before Thursday.
For the second straight game the Columbus Blue Jackets will be without Norris trophy candidate Seth Jones. Jones is dealing with an upper body injury that seemed to stem from him taking a crosscheck to the ribs following his overtime goal against the Colorado Avalanche on March 8th.
Jones missed the third period of the Montreal game and then was scratched for the Ottawa Senators tilt on Saturday. He did travel with the team to Boston and could play tomorrow against the New York Rangers. But he shouldn’t.
Rib injuries are tough to heal and it will likely be a problem that pesters him for the rest of the season. He has stated that he can play through it but it is smart to hold him out as long as possible. Especially with the defensive depth the Jackets now have with Cole and a healthy Murray and Nuti.
More from Union and Blue
- Blaming Columbus Blue Jacket Players for Babcock Fallout is Unfair
- The Mike Babcock Experiment in Columbus Has Failed
- Blue Jacket Prospects Win Traverse City Tournament: Who Stood Out?
- Mike Babcock Resigns as CBJ Head Coach: Reaction
- New Claims Bring Higher Level of Concern to Babcock Situation
The Jackets can afford to let Jones rest for the next two games against a banged up Boston squad and a Rangers team with nothing to play for. They should sit Jones until the massive matchup against the Florida Panthers.
Life without Jones
That means the defensive pairs for the next two games will be:
Ian Cole – David Savard aka “Lumberjackets”
Ryan Murray – Markus Nutivaara
The Jackets faired well in their game against Ottawa defensively allowing only 24 shots on goal. This number is a bit skewed because they blocked 16 shots. Ottawa doesn’t have the offense Boston does either, even with the B’s injuries.
Tonight the top pair of Werenski and Johnson have to play better. They were not in sync, made plenty of bad passes attempting to get out of the zone and blew their coverage several times. The team has only one practice since the Ottawa game and I question whether or not the top pair will be ready.
Related Story: CBJ Boast Best D-Corps in East
I expect Coach Tortorella to continue to rely on Cole and Savard then in the defensive zone. The Lumberjackets actually had more ice time than the “top pair” and continued their superb play together.
Murray and Nutivaara are underrated as a pair and play very well. The two control the game much more than they are given credit for and Nuti pitches in well offensively.
From @ChartingHockey. More evidence that Markus Nutivaara is supremely underrated. pic.twitter.com/X4OJJPXZG0
— Union and Blue (@UnionAndBlue) March 17, 2018
The Jackets should sit Jones until Thursday against the Florida Panthers. He is far too important of a player to rush back and these games are winnable without him in the lineup.