Blue Line Buzz: Jonesing For More

How much bigger is Seth Jones' role in Columbus than Nashville? After just two games, the discrepancy in minutes is already quite large.

Average ice time with Nashville: 19:38
Average penalty-kill ice time with Nashville: 1:37
Average power-play ice time with Nashville: 2:24

Average ice time with Columbus: 22:39
Average penalty-kill ice time with Columbus: 2:25
Average power-play ice time with Columbus: 2:26

At this pace, over the remaining 39 games, Jones will play 117 more minutes in Columbus than he would have in Nashville, pushing him close to the 1,700 range for the season, which would rank him in or around the league's top 50 defensemen. Coach John Tortorella, who has paired Jones with Ryan Murray to form a dangerous offensive duo, could play Jones even more as he becomes more familiar with what the 2013 No. 4 overall pick can do.

But is that for the better? Despite Nashville's struggles this season, the Jackets' struggles have been far worse, as they sit dead last in the league. You're looking at a defenseman who has his own growing pains to go through, yet has been thrust into a No. 1 role that he'll need to grow into. Jones has gone minus-2 in two games with Columbus and is still looking for his first win with the team.

Jones' trade sparked a flurry of movement in the league, so he's the first domino to fall in what will be an interesting run to the trade deadline as the playoff contenders attempt to separate themselves from the pack while other teams decide whether to wave the white flag and focus on next season.

The league has never been tighter; Columbus, Toronto and Buffalo may be the only teams that can be safely excluded from the playoff race, and this year's biggest sellers are yet to be determined. Either way, a few defensemen could be changing addresses between now and the Feb. 29 trade deadline. That list includes Vancouver's Dan Hamhuis, Matt Bartkowski and Yannick Weber; Carolina's John-Michael Liles; Toronto's Roman Polak; and Buffalo's Mike Weber and Carlo Colaiacovo.

There's also the odd chance that some notable minor league call-ups can push veteran defenders out of the lineup. This includes:

Adam Clendening, PIT – The Boston University alum is known for his offensive prowess, but hasn't quite developed his all-around game to stay in the NHL. There are flashes where his puck control is well above average, but he lacks poise and isn't quite good enough to win puck battles. However, Trevor Daley has struggled in Pittsburgh.

Scott Mayfield, NYI – A big bruiser and University of Denver alum who made his season debut Saturday, he adds size and toughness to the Islanders' defense. The 6-foot-4 stay-at-home defenseman could be a sneaky source of penalty minutes for those who need it. He's the Brooklyn answer to Manhattan's Dylan McIlrath.

Mike Reilly, MIN – A former Minnesota Golden Gopher (the NCAA theme runs strong this week) and Columbus draftee, Reilly was one of the most sought-after college free agents, ultimately spurning the Jackets to sign with the Wild. After averaging more than a point per game as a junior, Reilly's transition to the pros hasn't been quite as smooth as Noah Hanifin's or Ben Hutton's, with a minus-26 rating in 32 AHL games. He's unlikely to bounce anyone out of the lineup, but there's always a chance that his role will grow from now until the end of the season.

Last week's top five performers:

Tyson Barrie, COL – The Avs' three-game winning streak was snapped Sunday by Chicago, but Barrie had a very productive week otherwise, with three goals and three assists pushing his season total to 29 points, well ahead of Francois Beauchemin and Erik Johnson. His four-point effort last Sunday marked just the third time an Avs defenseman has accomplished the feat, with Sandis Ozolinsh and Derek Morris accounting for the other two. Barrie is one of Colorado's core players and should be re-signed to an extension along with Nathan MacKinnon.

Noah Hanifin, CAR – The highly touted Hurricanes rookie makes his debut on this list this season after notching an assist in three straight games. Carolina is sheltering him in his rookie season – a good decision, considering the team's relative strength on defense with Justin Faulk, but there's no denying the fifth overall pick in the 2015 draft has a ton of potential.

Brent Burns, SJ – He's managed to score a point in every single game since Dec. 20, and added two more in a 7-0 blowout of Toronto on Saturday. Burns is averaging nearly a point per game in his fifth season with the Sharks, and although Charlie Coyle (who was dealt to Minnesota for Burns in 2011) is starting to come into his own, the trade for Burns has been one of the Sharks' best moves in recent years.

P.K. Subban, MON – He finally snapped his 33-game goal drought with Montreal's lone tally in a 3-1 loss to the Penguins, and with another four assists in his past six games, it seems as though Subban is picking up his scoring pace. At this pace, he won't be able to post back-to-back 60-point seasons and will fall well short of last year's 15 goals, but he remains the Habs' top defenseman.

Nate Schmidt, WAS – An assist in a 7-1 blowout win Sunday in which Alex Ovechkin scored his 500th career goal extended Schmidt's scoring streak to four games. The former Minnesota Golden Gopher was a standout offensive defenseman in the NCAA, scoring 32 points in 40 games in his junior season before turning pro with the Caps, but after splitting the past two seasons with the NHL and AHL, it looks like Schmidt is ready for full-time duty.

Top five trending up:

Nate Schmidt, WAS – Continuing where we left off, the biggest indicator of Schmidt's growing role is his ice time, skating over 20 minutes in eight of his past nine games. Some of it comes out of necessity with John Carlson (undisclosed) out of the lineup, but should Carlson continue to miss time, Schmidt might be a worthy pickup.

Jaccob Slavin, CAR – There's just something about defensemen that come out of the NCAA. Like Schmidt and Hanifin, Slavin is a product of college hockey, as he played for Colorado College the past two seasons. Though he wasn't expected to make any significant contributions this year, he's been one of the Hurricanes' most pleasant surprises, scoring six points in 24 games.

Nick Holden, COL – Holden's average ice time per game this season is 21:46, fourth on the Avs, but here's his ice time in his past four games: 25:07, 25:17, 28:09, 24:58. Like Schmidt in Washington, Holden is benefitting from an injury to a regular, this time with Erik Johnson (lower body), and has clearly earned enough trust from Patrick Roy to play those kind of minutes.

Yevgeni Medvedev, PHI – Medvedev sat out last Tuesday as a healthy scratch, which raised a few eyebrows, as he had scored just three games earlier and was starting to be considered one of the Flyers' more dependable players. After sitting out, Medvedev responded by picking up a goal and an assist in his next two games – both Philadelphia wins. It can't be discounted that the return of Mark Streit takes a little pressure off everyone else.

Alexei Emelin, MTL – Beyond Subban, Andrei Markov and Jeff Petry, it doesn't seem like Michel Therrien really trusts the rest of his defensemen very much. Despite being one of the most consistently physical players, Emelin has spent time as a healthy scratch this season, but since the Winter Classic, he's had two points in four games and a ton of hits (16 alone this week), though ice time continues to be hard to come by, as he's played no more than 18:20 in each of his past four games.

Top five trending down:

Dustin Byfuglien, WPG – He was held without a point for the fourth straight game Sunday, and also extended his goal drought to nine games. Despite all he does on the ice, Byfuglien's 23 points this season have been a bit of a disappointment, considering how badly Burns – another big-bodied defenseman who can play forward – has outproduced him this season. It still remains to be seen whether the Jets deal him at the deadline, but if Buff's not playing up to par and a contract extension doesn't seem likely, a trade is very possible.

Shea Weber, NSH – At least usual defense partner Roman Josi is putting up a few assists; otherwise, Weber's lack of production would really be starting to hurt the Preds, even with the addition of Ryan Johansen. Nashville's have lost four of the last five with, and Weber doesn't have a single point in that span. If his struggles continue, expect Peter Laviolette to start splitting that pairing up a little more often. Is Weber still an elite fantasy defenseman? I'm not nearly as convinced as I was at the beginning of the season.

Dougie Hamilton, CGY – You'd think turning the page on 2015 and the first half of the season would do Hamilton some good, but that hasn't been the case. He had a fine performance against the Ducks on Jan. 2, but his next two games were listless – he played fewer than 17 minutes and registered zero shots on goal. It might be time to give up on Hamilton this season and look forward to next year.

Mike Green, DET – It's just feast or famine with this guy, who had a two-assist game on Jan. 2, but otherwise has not scored a goal since Dec. 22. The Red Wings recently waived Jakub Kindl, who might've been claimed if not for his $2.4 million cap hit; although Green is highly unlikely to meet the same fate, there's a bit of a logjam on the Wings' blue line, so his role could get smaller and smaller.

Matt Carle, TAM – Speaking of money, the Lightning only bought out Vincent Lecavalier's contract a couple years ago, but they already have another potential albatross on their books. Carle has been a healthy scratch in five of the last seven games, and in the two games he did play, he skated under 16 minutes and went a combined minus-3. The Lightning owe him $11 million over the next two years.