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Could Seth Jones Fall to Tampa?

June 19, 2013, 1:37 AM ET [97 Comments]
Michael Stuart
Ottawa Senators Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Happy belated birthday to Martin St. Louis, who turned 38 yesterday.

With word coming out of Colorado indicating that the Avalanche don’t plan on selecting Seth Jones with this year’s first overall draft pick, mock drafts everywhere have been thrown out the window. Adrian Dater of the Denver Post has reported that Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy are leaning towards one of three forwards, rather than the talented young defender.

After a week of internal meetings, Avalanche brass came to a conclusion: Jones won't be their pick. Instead, it could be any one of three forwards: Nathan MacKinnon, Jonathan Drouin or Alexander Barkov.


While Jones, with his solid overall game, has been the consensus number one pick for what seems like an eternity, the Avalanche clearly view MacKinnon’s dominance, Drouin’s skill, and Barkov’s size as more intriguing. For the Tampa Bay Lightning, this has to be considered good news.

For the longest time, fans of the Lightning have been craving Seth Jones. With Steven Stamkos on the roster and a bevy of offensive prospects coming up through the ranks, the Lightning are near-set offensively. The big hole on the Lightning roster lies on the blue line. Seth Jones is a player who would fill that hole perfectly. He’s right-handed, big, smart, and more than solid at both ends of the ice. Not only is Jones arguably the best player available in this draft, but he’s also most definitely the best fit for the Lightning’s needs.

Of course, even though the Avalanche are reportedly going to pass on Jones, the Lightning don’t automatically land him. The Florida Panthers, who currently hold the second overall draft selection, stand in the way. The good news, though, is that Dale Tallon and the Panthers have a need for skilled players up front. Other than Jonathan Huberdeau, the Panthers lack top-end talent both at center and on the wing. Adding either Nathan MacKinnon or Jonathan Drouin would help to rectify that situation. The allure of drafting Jones may be there in spades, but it’s hard to argue with Donny Rivette of Litter Box Cats.

Florida must continue addressing a significant shortage of skilled scorers, hence passing on defenseman Seth Jones despite expectations of his becoming a "franchise" blueliner, and Drouin fills this need in remarkable fashion.


If (and that’s a big if) both the Avalanche and Panthers select forwards, Seth Jones would fall right into the Lightning’s lap. It’s hard to imagine Steve Yzerman and Al Murray passing on a player who would immediately solidify the team’s blue line for years to come. A Hedman/Jones tandem feeding Steven Stamkos the puck sounds downright scary. A lot needs to happen for the Lightning to get into that situation but, with the Avalanche prepared to pass on Jones, the possibility is certainly there.

While I personally don’t expect Seth Jones to make it down to the third pick, it certainly would make my day if Steve Yzerman has the opportunity to call out his name on draft day. With only a handful of days left before teams gather in New Jersey, the suspense won’t last long.

As always, thanks for reading.



...More in six days. Just kidding, Riley.
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