It seems like injuries are the only things that can slow down Seth Jones lately, and that’s exactly what happened as he was sidelined during the third period of the Columbus Blue Jackets’ 5-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens.
Despite that setback, the 23-year-old defenseman extended his multi-point streak to three games with a goal and an assist. Jones now has four goals and two assists for six points during those three contests, helping the Blue Jackets bolster their playoff potential with five straight wins.
You have to wonder if Jones might be getting the attention of Norris Trophy voters in the process.
One delight of the 2017-18 season is that multiple award races continue to build intrigue. Sometimes it feels like there’s a reasonable Hart Trophy candidate for any team within a stone’s throw of the playoffs, at least with Nikita Kucherov cooling off thanks to injuries. Andrei Vasilevskiy’s Vezina edge has dissolved, possibly due to fatigue. Meanwhile, in the case of the Norris Trophy, John Klingberg no longer seems to be the runaway leader, even if his shrinking scoring advantage probably can be blamed in part by the Dallas Stars’ systemic struggles.
Offense with Klingberg vs Offense with Hamhuis pic.twitter.com/8Si4HZ0VI6
— Carolyn Wilke (@Classlicity) March 12, 2018
Now, Jones isn’t leading defensemen in goals, though he’s close at 14 (P.K. Subban and Dougie Hamilton are tied for the NHL lead with 15). While those 15 goals and 48 points already mark a career-best for Jones, he’s still trailing Klingberg by a considerable margin, as the Stars defensemen stands at an impressive 57 points.
Possibly pushing the Blue Jackets into playoff position will help Jones’ case, but while this scoring streak brings him more attention, his best argument is probably is all-around game.
Jones doesn’t lead blueliners in ice time - stop if you’ve heard this before, but Ryan Suter is the top guy while Drew Doughty and Erik Karlsson are right there with him - yet Jones does a little of everything, including killing just under two minutes of penalties (1:48) per night.
Beyond fantastic possession stats and nice counting numbers, Jones just seems to check all the boxes. Consider how competently he compares to former Norris winner Drew Doughty, another guy who rightfully gets praised for his all-around game. Via this handy tool from CJ Turtoro using Corey Sznajder’s data, you can see that Jones excels at transition elements of the game, too:
This is not necessarily to say that Jones is the frontrunner, mind you.
Again, he’s not necessarily the top choice in any specific category. He’s a rung or two down the ladder in scoring, with Klingberg and Brent Burns ahead of him. Erik Karlsson still seems to be in a class of his own according to certain metrics. Whether you look at sheer volume of work (Ryan Suter) or excelling in tougher circumstances (check P.K. Subban’s zone starts), Jones won’t be considered the biggest workhorse of the group.
Still, it has to be exciting for the Texas native and those who hyped him up heading into the 2013 NHL Draft, when he “fell” to the Nashville Predators as the fourth overall pick. John Tortorella is clearly gaining more and more trust for Jones, and his game is flourishing with all of those “rover” opportunities.
If his injury doesn’t slow this hot streak, Jones will only continue to work his way into the discussion. At worst, his name deserves to be mentioned among the biggest names among NHL defensemen, and that’s not an easy club to break into.
—
James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.