Should New Jersey Devils Target Columbus Defenseman Seth Jones?
With the season over for numerous teams, players have been starting to talk and rumors are starting to fly around the league. Reports say Seth Jones stated that as it stands now he wants to test free agency after next season. So should the New Jersey Devils be in on him?
Jones is a 6’4 defender who can play big minutes averaging above 25 minutes a night for three straight seasons. He could fill a massive role for the Devils. He can skate, move the puck, put up points, and would likely slide in without any issues on the top pairing.
In both of the last two seasons, Jones played 56 games netting 30 and 28 points which is pretty good and would have him near the top of the team. Columbus has also been known more for playing a gritty, defensive game unlike the Devils, so offensively he would blossom in Jersey with the style the Devils have been attempting to play.
The defensive core on the Devils is really up in the air right now. It would be interesting to see if the Devils could convince him to sign long term. He would immediately take the #1 spot on the right side and Severson could slide back to where he will thrive on the second pairing. Pieces like Jones can have a big impact across the roster and if the Devils could put out an actual six-man NHL defense core all season in front of a healthy Blackwood, they would rise in the standings. With Jones joining Severson, Ty Smith, and Ryan Murray, the Devils’ top four would actually be pretty good and P.K. Subban could easily take some easier minutes with Bahl or even Butcher.
So what would it take to get Seth Jones out of Columbus?
They would probably ask for a 1st-round pick and a good prospect or two.
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The Devils or another team, however, would get no guarantee on re-signing him which should lower the actual return, and depending on who is on the board come draft day, they could look at trading their high 1st-round pick for him. The question is which is worth more. The guaranteed top defender who is 26 on a building team who really needs to turn it around or a defender like Luke Hughes or Simon Edvinsson.
There is always the other option of trading some prospects and players for the impending rebuild in Columbus. Would a package of Pavel Zacha, Jesper Boqvist, and a 2nd round pick tempt them?
They may not view Zacha as a man who took a huge step, or Boqvist who is still young as having not pushed the needle forward enough yet to be worth his draft-day hype as a second-round steal? Would the Devils even be willing to go higher by putting someone like Holtz next to Zacha and dangling that, hoping Jones re-signs?
Either way, it is risky for both teams and while the Devils certainly can’t toss away too much they need to be making calls on someone that would hugely help them quickly. It must always be in the back of their mind however that Jones wants to win and the Devils need to show they will be competing right away or all the assets would be given away for nothing.