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Seth Jones inks six year, $32.4 million extension with Blue Jackets

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Jarmo Kekalainen and the Columbus Blue Jackets can now rest easy that they won’t have to worry about an offer sheet coming Seth Jones’ way.

The 21-year-old Jones and the Blue Jackets agreed to a six-year extension worth $32.4 million. He was set to become a restricted free agent on July 1. The deal will carry a $5.4 million cap hit, placing the young defenseman tied with Jay Bouwmeester and just below Alex Goligoski among NHL blue liners in terms of AAVs.

According to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston, the final two years of the deal give Jones a 10-team no-trade clause.

“Acquiring Seth Jones was very important to our organization and reaching a long-term agreement with him to remain a Blue Jacket was a priority, so we are extremely excited about having done so today,” said Kekalainen in a statement. “At 21, Seth is just beginning to tap into his potential as a player. He has everything you look for in a defenseman and is going to be a very important player and leader on our team for many years.”

In 81 games this past season with the Blue Jackets and Predators, Jones, who was acquired in January for Ryan Johansen, scored three times and recorded 31 points. He’d finish the year a positive possession player, per Corsica Hockey, and lead Columbus in ice time with 24:27 per game.

Kekalainen kept his Wednesday morning a busy one by not only inking Jones to an extension but also signing No. 3 overall pick Pierre-Luc Dubois to his entry-level deal, per Darren Dreger.

The Blue Jackets GM still has plenty of work to do. Right now Columbus has a little over $42,000 in cap space available. Kekalainen would love to find a taker for Scott Hartnell, Jared Boll and Fedor Tyutin, among others, but with two days left in the NHL’s buyout window, that could end up being the route to go down in order to open up room.

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!