Seth Jones is arguably the best player on the Blue Jackets. The Norris-type potential of Jones has full-on emerged to what could be, a Norris Trophy candidate, the way his career is only continuing to climb upward in Central Ohio.
His latest display in the SAP Skills Competition, in which he scored on three of four attempts in the Save Streak Challenge, including twice on Andrei Vasilevskiy and once on Jimmy Howard, and featuring a blistering 99.4 MPH slap shot in the event for Hardest Shot is just a peripheral of what the entire country was able to witness, and what everyone in Columbus knows about Jones on a nightly basis.
Seth bringing some 🔥 pic.twitter.com/mNTWRcs6Ko
— The Cannon (@cbjcannon) January 26, 2019
And we joke and we laugh, but we’re not really laughing when we watch Alexander Wennberg.
this guy has more goals in this event than Alexan…ummm… pic.twitter.com/dEelKWwSMq
— The Cannon (@cbjcannon) January 26, 2019
It might seem hard to believe that Jone is just 24-years-old and already in his sixth season, after being shoved out beyond the depth of the Predators defensive corps. We don’t need to spend a lot of time explaining why that trade for Johansen has been good and that the Jackets are only improved — and then some — with the likes of No. 3 on the ice.
Talking about jokes.
If Seth didn’t score his two goals this event, it wouldn’t be a surprise, as he is typically ending games before they get to shootout…but yeah. #3 is good no matter what. pic.twitter.com/I9YD3basJo
— The Cannon (@cbjcannon) January 26, 2019
It’s true. Jones has found a knack for ending games rather quickly in the extra session.
And at the Panthers.
(That pass by Dubois 😮)
He also scored twice in the NHL All-Star Game last Saturday night because, well, we know what he does with three-on-three. Now the rest of the world does, too.
Jones has two of those game-winners, and both coming seconds into the extra session. He now co-leads the franchise with Rick Nash with six career overtime goals.
But opposing teams aren’t laughing when they have to face the Blue Jackets, who are 7-2 in overtime this season, only losing to the Ducks twice.
And of course, he assisted on the winning goal against the Capitals.
Freeze it.
Seth Jones has cracked the 800 minute mark in terms of ice-time. Among NHL defenseman with at least 800 logged ice-time minutes 5v5, Jones is 17th among CF% (52.34), 12th among FF% (53.76), 20th among SF% (52.49). For Columbus, Jones is second among CF%, fourth among FF%, and, of course, first among average ice-time (19.6).