Seth Jones and his future (Sportsnet reports he intends to test free agency)

[MoeBartoli]

I had brought up the idea of trading Jones last year while he had two years remaining. He would have yielded a great return and the best chance to land a high scoring, playmaking forward. We now are faced with paying an elite level salary (for 8 years) for a DMan who is excellent and can carry big minutes, but not elite (not top 10 in my book). But here we are now and I think Jarmo is almost forced to sign him.

 

[MAHJ71]

I had brought up the idea of trading Jones last year while he had two years remaining. He would have yielded a great return and the best chance to land a high scoring, playmaking forward. We now are faced with paying an elite level salary (for 8 years) for a DMan who is excellent and can carry big minutes, but not elite (not top 10 in my book). But here we are now and I think Jarmo is almost forced to sign him.

Ideal scenario if we have to trade him is probably a sign & trade to boost the return

or even more ideally he’ll take slightly less than elite dman $

 

[CBJWerenski8]

Nothing really new here but Jones’ comments apparently “raised eyebrows” across the league. Jackets aren’t concerned and view it as posturing and have already reached out to the representatives about the contract.

 

[I3LI3]

not really sure why, completely just a hunch, but I have a feeling Z is going to don the CBJ uniform for a long time and seth... is not.

hope I’m wrong though.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

not really sure why, completely just a hunch, but I have a feeling Z is going to don the CBJ uniform for a long time and seth... is not.

hope I’m wrong though.

If Seth goes you don’t even bother trying with Werenski. You torch the place down and start over imo

 

[Long Live Lyle]

If Seth goes you don’t even bother trying with Werenski. You torch the place down and start over imo

Not sure I agree, Z is still pretty young. I mean maybe you could, but you don’t necessarily have to. You could sign Z to a long-term deal and he would still be a great player the final 3-4 years of the deal after you’ve finished the “rebuilding” portion.

 

[majormajor]

Not sure I agree, Z is still pretty young. I mean maybe you could, but you don’t necessarily have to. You could sign Z to a long-term deal and he would still be a great player the final 3-4 years of the deal after you’ve finished the “rebuilding” portion.

I'd keep Z if he signs long term right away. We can't wait on him though, same as Seth.

 

[CalBuckeyeRob]

I read that post as one of biting sarcasm but maybe my Sarcasm Detector isn't working properly. CBR is free to set me straight if I'm wrong.

Sarcasm detection was accurate.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

Not sure I agree, Z is still pretty young. I mean maybe you could, but you don’t necessarily have to. You could sign Z to a long-term deal and he would still be a great player the final 3-4 years of the deal after you’ve finished the “rebuilding” portion.

By the time the team would be ready to compete again Werenski would be past his prime and likely overpaid. Not to mention potentially exposed as the only top pairing defenseman

 

[VT]

IMHO Seth is very important for us. It`s not only about his play but his influence in the dressing room too. So if we want to keep him he must see the things are going in the right direction and that the team has a future ahead of it.

 

[majormajor]

By the time the team would be ready to compete again Werenski would be past his prime and likely overpaid. Not to mention potentially exposed as the only top pairing defenseman

I don't agree in the slightest.

For all we know it might only take a few years. Ottawa had their big sell off two years ago and now they already have a team that is faster and more skilled than half their opponents. I think they could contend soon.

Zach is 24? [Edit: next year is his 24 yr old season] Prime age for D-men is often closer to 30, sometimes even after 30. I am pretty confident in Zach as a player, I think he is a #1D caliber player with or without Jones.

Now if you really want to tank hard for top picks in the next two years, you may have to sell off Z. (And Elvis). They're too good for that. But then you also risk pulling a Buffalo/Edmonton if you don't have a strong veteran core to help your new top picks.

 

[EDM]

I agree that in order to sign Seth, he must “see the things are going in the right direction”. Thus I increasingly see us as having very little chance of retaining him.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

I don't agree in the slightest.

For all we know it might only take a few years. Ottawa had their big sell off two years ago and now they already have a team that is faster and more skilled than half their opponents. I think they could contend soon.

Zach is 24? [Edit: next year is his 24 yr old season] Prime age for D-men is often closer to 30, sometimes even after 30. I am pretty confident in Zach as a player, I think he is a #1D caliber player with or without Jones.

Now if you really want to tank hard for top picks in the next two years, you may have to sell off Z. (And Elvis). They're too good for that. But then you also risk pulling a Buffalo/Edmonton if you don't have a strong veteran core to help your new top picks.

They haven't made the playoffs in 4 years. They were rebuilding the year after they acquired Duchene (when he was still on the roster). Even if you use the Ottawa model of 4-6 years, that puts Werenski at 28-30 years old. Not over the hill by any means, but the back end of his prime. And that's not even contending, that's competing.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

I agree that in order to sign Seth, he must “see the things are going in the right direction”. Thus I increasingly see us as having very little chance of retaining him.

Or it is going force Jarmo to sh*t or get off the pot with this team.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

I agree that in order to sign Seth, he must “see the things are going in the right direction”. Thus I increasingly see us as having very little chance of retaining him.

This is why I don't discount on us making a major major move. Jarmo isn't afraid to make big bold moves even if they don't work out. This is why I don't count us out at all for Jack Eichel.We might not have the top tier prospect that NYR (Kakko) LA (Turcotte) or Anaheim (Drysdale/Zegras) have to offer, but we're desperate, have better younger roster players (Except for NYR), and serious draft capital.

 

[CalBuckeyeRob]

Any discussion in hockey circles about Jarmo getting replaced too? He just seems to be a bad people person and has had no success in rallying players to his side. His approach to RFAs is just counter productive. And if the management stance is that they will only pay elite money to elite talent then they need to find a GM that can find it, because Jarmo doesn't seem to have any here that he wants to pay.

 

[Cowumbus]

I don’t think Jones is worth 8+ million. Are the average advanced stats a result of the CBJ system, or simply just a player that is second pairing quality?

 

[majormajor]

This is why I don't discount on us making a major major move. Jarmo isn't afraid to make big bold moves even if they don't work out. This is why I don't count us out at all for Jack Eichel.We might not have the top tier prospect that NYR (Kakko) LA (Turcotte) or Anaheim (Drysdale/Zegras) have to offer, but we're desperate, have better younger roster players (Except for NYR), and serious draft capital.

You called?

 

[CalBuckeyeRob]

I don’t think Jones is worth 8+ million. Are the average advanced stats a result of the CBJ system, or simply just a player that is second pairing quality?

What do you think he is worth? And if Columbus doesn't give him the money, then who can they give it to that is worth it instead? The player pool they can access is very limited. Elite free agents aren't coming to Columbus unless they overpay. And then they definitionally wouldn't be worth it. So your choice is to pay up for the quality you can get, or don't. And if you do the latter you will be a losing team that can brag about their financial responsibility. Not a great way to sell your team to the fans: "We might suck, but at least the players aren't overpaid."

 

[majormajor]

They haven't made the playoffs in 4 years. They were rebuilding the year after they acquired Duchene (when he was still on the roster). Even if you use the Ottawa model of 4-6 years, that puts Werenski at 28-30 years old. Not over the hill by any means, but the back end of his prime. And that's not even contending, that's competing.

I'm not going to agree on that dating of events. Karlsson, Duchene, and Stone were all shipped out in 2018-19. It's now 2 - 2.5 years later and the Senators are a really fast fun young team, with a great record in the second half. They're glad they have Chabot for this moment, just as we'd be glad to have Werenski if we get back to that point.

Obviously that's closer to best-case scenario for blowing up a roster. Most rebuilds take longer.

 

[EDM]

I agree that retaining Jones is the one thing that could force Jarmo to be bold & move beyond his”waiting or The Russians” stance. I hope Jones would demand action not just talk .

 

[Cowumbus]

What do you think he is worth? And if Columbus doesn't give him the money, then who can they give it to that is worth it instead? The player pool they can access is very limited. Elite free agents aren't coming to Columbus unless they overpay. And then they definitionally wouldn't be worth it. So your choice is to pay up for the quality you can get, or don't. And if you do the latter you will be a losing team that can brag about their financial responsibility. Not a great way to sell your team to the fans: "We might suck, but at least the players aren't overpaid."

Probably around 6-6.5 million.

 

[EspenK]

Those statistics reflect him playing on a shitty team with no offensive capabilities and offensive players providing little defensive support. If you really think he's only worth 6.5mm/yr I think you are not dealing with reality. Do you think he will jump at that number as a UFA? The only thing that will hold down his salary is the cap constraints many of the top teams are currently under.

 

[Nanabijou]

If Jones' top priority is money, I doubt there will be other places that can pay him much more. Jackets have the cap space and I will guess will easily pay him $9 million a year and maybe $10 million if forced to (although I hope it is closer to 9). Is there really a team out there in this financial environment who is going to pay him more than that?

If Jones' top priority is legacy, there is nowhere that can compete with the Jackets. He can be the next captain, the face of the franchise and someone who leads the Jackets back from the hopefully temporary abyss they fell into this past year.

The big thing is going to be team competitiveness, and if I was him, I'd be wanting to hear Jarmo's plan. I'd probably wait until past the draft and free agency to see if that plan is consistent with his initial actions. There has to be a legitimate path for the Jackets to return to relevance in 1-2 years instead of 3-4+ if I was in his shoes. That means I'm preparing for an uncomfortable July from a fan point of view as we wait on his decision.

Another factor is lifestyle and city features. I don't sense that is an issue for Seth, as it was for Panarin and Duchene, so I don't think it matters here.

 

[cslebn]

Would think the comparable Brisson would use is Pietrangelo