The Columbus Blue Jackets traded center Ryan Johansen to the Nashville Predators for defenseman Seth Jones on Wednesday.
Jones is 21 years old and was the fourth overall pick in the 2013 draft.
Blue Jackets’ General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen announced the trade saying, “Jones is a big, skilled defenseman who has the potential to be an elite performer in this league for many years to come. He has tremendous skill with the puck, sees the ice extremely well and has the ability to shut down the opposition as well. We believe he will be an anchor on the blueline for our team for many years to come.”
Jones made his NHL debut in 2013-14 and ranked among the NHL’s rookie defensemen leaders in goals, assists and points with 6-19-25 and 24 penalty minutes in 77 games. Last season, he tallied 8-19-27, 20 penalty minutes and was +3 in 82 games. He logged 19:52 average ice time per game and was the only Predators defenseman to appear in every game. He also led the club with four assists in six games during the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoff.
Johansen, 23, played in every game for Columbus the past two seasons, and the 6-foot-3, 218-pound center from Vancouver, British Columbia, had 26 points in 38 games this season. He has 193 points in 309 career games and was the fourth overall pick in the 2010 draft.
“Trading Johansen was not easy but improving our blueline has been a priority for us and to acquire a player of Seth’s caliber, you have to give up a player of value,” said Kekalainen. “We have been through a lot with Joey over the years and he has been a very good player for us. On behalf of our organization, I want to thank him for all he has done on and off the ice for our team and in our community.”
The Blue Jackets have had a rough season, going 15-23-3 so far, having already made a coaching change. We’ll see if any more major changes are on the horizon.
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