Seth Jones informed the Columbus Blue Jackets he won't sign an extension with the club once he's eligible, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
Friedman added Jones could always change his mind, but it appears he wants to test the open market.
Jones is an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career following the 2021-22 season. He'd be permitted to sign an extension with Columbus once the current campaign ends.
The 26-year-old currently makes $5.4 million per season. Jones has been a top-pairing defenseman most of his career and is likely to fetch a handsome payday in free agency, but his underlying numbers this past season indicate some red flags.
Last summer I was skeptical about Seth Jones' obvious talent translating to top-level on-ice results. Even I didn't see his disastrous 2020-21 season coming. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/kGvJJzSePZ
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) May 30, 2021
Jones was drafted fourth overall by the Nashville Predators in 2013 and traded to the Blue Jackets during the 2015-16 season. He's notched 223 points in 381 games with Columbus and was a second-team All-Star in 2018.
Columbus could trade Jones this offseason for max value while he still has a year left on his contract, but it would have to work around his 10-team no-trade list.
The Blue Jackets have had several star players leave the club via free agency in recent years, including Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Matt Duchene. Pierre-Luc Dubois demanded a trade out of Columbus earlier this season as well.
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