Final Grade: David Jones

Jones had a good year this year, but at times got a little floaty. When he is using his speed and leverage to drive to the net he is fun to watch…when he starts shooting from the outside, he seems to become a bit…Wolski-esque?

Fun fact 2: Jones is probably one of very few NHL players to hurt himself just trying to get on the ice

He still has a tendency to disappear some games, but he kept up production even during the tank. I think with a consistent linemates he can hit 60 points.

I thought Jones had a fantastic season, even more impressive that he seemed to be the only person producing during the Avs horrid February

The only question is, is Jones the type of guy that gets 30 or 40 goals on bad teams but 15-20 on good teams? He’s still young and can grow so he’s got that going for him. If someone asked for Jones in a trade to get a goalie, I’d throw him in and go with two forwards at the draft, have to build from the net outward as seen by this year’s Tank-a-rama.

I think, when he can stay healthy, Jones is what he is now. An adequate 2nd line winger on a good team. A top scoring first line winger on ours. He has decent size but rarely uses it. Has good speed which he uses more often. And has a decent scoring touch.

I love me some Dr Jones, but I expect his production will not get much higher. I don’t really feel like he’s a top-line guy, but maybe a decent second-liner, or a great third-liner if he can get a bit more rough-and-tumble. I just hope that he has continues to develop his game and remain injury free.

My thoughts on Jones: (Caveat, I’m a Jones fanboy). I think he’s big-bodied scoring winger ideally suited for the second line and 2nd PP unit. His injury history has largely been the “freak” variety and isn’t really the concussion-prone norm that inhabits the Colorado dressing room. I think if he used just 10% more of his size in the slot and garbage goal areas, he’d be a consistent 30-goal scorer. If he doesn’t, he’ll be a stable 25-goal winger who can handle spot duty on the 1st and 3rd lines. I personally would prefer a defense-first oriented 3rd line and two scoring top lines, therefore I don’t think he’s suited for the 3rd. I like his work ethic and his hustle and will remain a fan of him even when he’s inevitably traded to Calgary for defenseman that won’t work out.

I’m not sure why, but our friend David Jones never gets an appropriate amount of love around these parts. I know all about his injury history, but did something else happen before the summer of ‘09 (when I moved here and was able to watch every game) that soured people on him? I’m curious. It’s not so much that I hear bad-mouthing (I don’t much), as that I don’t hear anything at all. The only time I can be sure he exists is when we’re looking for a toss-in to spice up our latest Bernier trade proposal.

Here’s what I’ve seen since then: Jones being a breakout player that helped jumpstart our playoff season in 2010 (the one with the 10-1-2 start). Our Mr. Anonymous had 11 goals and 16 points in 23 games (2nd and 4th, respectively, on a division-leading team) before he went down, bringing grit, more hitting than any of our forwards (yuh-huh, GDCS), starring on the PK (2 shorties), and showing up in the clutch (3 GWG). He played like he had something to prove, and his loss was one of the less-talked-about reasons why we leveled off and coasted into the 8th spot.

This year, while not as physical from a hitting perspective, he got very familiar with opposing goalies by making a regular home on the edge of the crease on his way to a team-high 27 goals (and, oh yeah, 4 game-winners). When the team started the schneid on 1/26 and the team averaged a pathetic 2.06 goals over the final 33 games, no one managed more than 8 goals except for Jonesy with 11. Injuries are a factor, but a lot of the difference was due to Jones’ willingness to dig for garbage while others were pressing and dangling around the perimeter. At times he may have been guilty of the same, but much more often than not, he knew better and went to the net to slap at loose pucks and clean up the mess. That’s how you break out of slumps and win games and Jones knows it.

I’m not saying he’s perfect. His off-nights don’t look good and I’d love to see get back more of the physical edge now that he’s shown some health, but dude is 26, has the crazy speed, the shot, the size, and knows how to make things happen. He’s a keeper, a vital cog moving forward towards the Cup, and should be treated as such. Instead of another "Jones, Cumisky, and a 7th" can I get a HELL-YEAH for David Jones out there?