Report: Seth Jones Finished With Columbus Blue Jackets

According to Elliotte Freidman of Sportsnet, Seth Jones has informed the Columbus Blue Jackets he has no intention of signing a contract extension with the franchise. The 26-year-old defenseman has one year left on his current contract paying him $5.4 million.

Jones holds no-trade protection as he submits a list of 10 teams he cannot be traded to. With this news it sets the Blue Jackets up for trading Jones this summer and maximizing the return. Expect the Blue Jackets to try and land a #1 center in the deal as they have a huge hole up the middle and can fill it by trading Jones. 

This of course is going to create a massive hole on defense as there is no doubt Jones is the Blue Jackets best defender. Columbus continues to loss star players as this has become quite the trend of talent leaving town with the likes of Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Sergei Bobrovsky and now Jones.

There's going to be a ton of interest in Jones so the bidding war could be out of control. Adding Jones under $6 million for one season alone will be a solid addition, signing him long-term will be a home run. Teams to watch out for include the Edmonton Oilers, Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks. Jones was drafted fourth overall by the Nashville Predators back in 2013 and has tallied 223 points in 381 career games. 

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