Los Angeles Kings Sign Free Agent Defenseman Caleb Jones

Back on the free agent market as a UFA for the second straight year, defenseman Caleb Jones has landed a new deal with the Los Angeles Kings. It's a one-year, two-way contract for the 27-year-old, and he's had to settle for the league minimum once again, at $775,000.

We’ve signed defenseman Caleb Jones to a one-year, two-way contract.

Full Release 📲 https://t.co/e3F7KK0YYt @Enterprise | #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/YKfgJuPHut
— LA Kings (@LAKings) July 5, 2024

After establishing himself on the Chicago Blackhawks blueline in the 2022-23 season, playing over 19 minutes a night while registering 118 blocked shots and 116 hits, Jones signed on with the Carolina Hurricanes last August for the minimum, but was traded on the eve of the regular season to the Colorado Avalanche. There, he was only able to muster up an average of 12:12 of ice time in 25 games, posting five points and a +4 rating, while spending another dozen contests in the AHL with the Colorado Eagles.

Based on the fact that the Kings have eight defensemen already under contract, it seems plausible that Jones will open the 2024-25 campaign with LA's farm club in the American Hockey League, the Ontario Reign.

Jones was a fourth-round pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 NHL draft, and in 242 career NHL games, he's totalled 14 goals and 41 assists for 55 points, along with a minus-35 rating in 16:35 average ice time per night. He's displayed better offensive numbers in the AHL, with 63 points on 11 goals and 52 assists in 137 games.