It's that time of year. The NHL trade deadline is less than two weeks away, which means the rumor mill is in full force. The Blue Jackets find themselves somewhat surprisingly on the buyer's side of things, and with the Chicago Blackhawks reportedly looking to trade away former Jacket Seth Jones; naturally people are wondering about the fit.
We're here to tell you that the fit just isn't there at this time. Don't get me wrong, I do love the player and would absolutely enjoy seeing him back in Central Ohio, helping this team towards greater success. The problem is, he just doesn't fit this team's needs at this time, and I don't see him helping towards that greater success.
Of course, you're probably thinking "he's a right hand shot defenseman", and "that's exactly what we need!", and following that up with "he has chemistry with Zach Werenski!". You would be correct on each of those fronts, but there are more threads to this story that need to be talked about.
First, the elephant in the room: that contract. Let's not forget that Seth Jones refused to re-sign with Columbus and be a part of this rebuild; choosing instead to accept a trade to Chicago, where he immediately locked into a max term 8-year contract worth $9.5 million against the cap. That's around 11% of the total cap value of the Blackhawks, who have since entered a rebuild of their own.
If acquired at full value, that would give the Blue Jackets two defensemen making a combined $19.83 million against the cap. Quite simply put, that's too much money tied up on your top defense pairing, for a team who is only just fighting for a wild card spot. In my opinion, they would be better off spending that money to fill other holes - especially taking the play of Dante Fabbro into consideration. A partner for Werenski just isn't a huge need right now, he's playing at a Norris Trophy level with the guys that are here.
The second issue with acquiring Jones: he's the wrong archetype and doesn't fit what this team actually needs. The Jackets already have Damon Severson, who is paid to play essentially the same role - that of a second pairing puck mover on the right side.
So, in my opinion, any trade to acquire Jones would have to hinge upon moving Severson out the other way. With a full no trade clause, it's hard to see Damon accepting a trade to a bottom of the pack team like Chicago, which means the Jackets would probably have to broker a three-team trade here. You can see where this deal could get confusing - and expensive.
Finally, when he's on his game, Jones is a viable top-four defenseman who can quarterback a power-play. But, the Jackets already have their first unit well managed by Werenski. Their second unit has rolled out Ivan Provorov when called upon; but, even if they were to move #9 at the trade deadline, Denton Mateychuk looks plenty poised to step into that role.
Nothing about the idea makes sense for the Blue Jackets.
Sorry, nostalgia aside, it's just the facts: acquiring Seth Jones does not make sense for the Blue Jackets. With 5 years remaining on a deal that pays him to be a #1 defenseman until he's 35 years old, I just don't see the fit. He made a choice to leave Columbus and take a chance elsewhere, and we shouldn't be the team that bails him or the Blackhawks out of this situation.
I'm sure there is a contending team out there that can find a way to get him with a reduced salary. And, I'm sure they will be very happy with their acquisition. Seth can bring a lot to a team in the right role. But, that role doesn't seem evident in Columbus.
The Jackets would be much better off finding a way to correct the asset that is already here (Severson), and use him to do the exact same thing. It won't cost them any outbound pieces or added money to keep him here. He's the same age as Jones and brings a lot of the same value at this point in their careers, all at $3.25 million less against the cap.