BATTALION BREAKDOWN: Seth Jones

Battalion Breakdownis a closer look at the Blue Jackets' past season from a numerical standpoint, starting with the highest jersey number and counting down to the lowest. Today, BlueJackets.com wraps up returning Blue Jackets with a breakdown of Seth Jones's season and how it impacted Columbus in the 2017-18 campaign.
Seth Jones
Number: 3
Age: 23
Birthdate: October 3, 1994
Height/Weight: 6-4, 210
Position: Defense
Nickname: "Jonesy"
The expectations for Seth Jones were clear entering the 2017-18 season; lead the CBJ defensive core with outstanding play and off-ice leadership. These expectations spurred from his outstanding 2016-17 season where he set career highs in goals, assists and points, was selected to his first All-Star Game, and received four votes towards the Norris Trophy.
Coach Tortorella showed his faith in Jones early on by awarding the defensemen with an "A" on his jersey mid-season, officially claiming Seth Jones as a leader of the team. Playing on the top pair with Zach Werenski, the two were used as aggressively in the offensive zone as any blue line duo in the league. This led to a scoring race that would leave both tied for the franchise record in scoring by a defenseman.
If Jones continues on the same track, not only will Jones have a shot at another All-Star selection, but a legitimate argument for the Norris Trophy. Here's a look back at the numbers from last season that lead to all of the hype.

4
Seth Jones finished fourth and received 406 total votes, two for first place, in the 2017-18 Norris Trophy voting. Finishing behind P.K Subban, Drew Doughty and the eventual winner Victor Hedman was nothing to be upset about - Jones had a great season, but Hedman managed to post 63 points and finish with a +32 plus/minus rating.
57
With a franchise-tying record of 16 goals (tied with defensive-partner Zach Werenski) and a career high 41 assists, Seth Jones posted his career high with 57 points on the season. Jones and Werenski saw their roles change midway through the season when the CBJ acquired Ian Cole. Jones and Werenski saw less time matched up against top lines and spent more time on the attack once the "Lumber Jackets" pair of Cole and David Savard established themselves as the main shut-down defensive duo in Columbus.
485
The shift from defensive leader to two-way asset freed Seth Jones up to put more pucks on net. Jones attempted 485 shots on the season, 41 percent more than his previous career high of 344. Not only was he used more in a two-way capacity, but for the majority of the season he was also the lone defenseman on the top powerplay unit.
124
In his fifth full season in the NHL, Seth Jones took a big step forward in the physical aspect of his game. Not only did he set his career high in hits, but he also laid down his body more often than any other season in his career. Jones blocked 124 shots in 78 games and won battles at a much higher rate with 67 takeaways (up from his previous career best of 41).
2
For the second consecutive season and second time in his career, Seth Jones was selected to the NHL All-Star Game. Although Jones fell ill and could not play (Werenski filled Jones's spot) the selection was indicative of the leadership and on-ice success that Blue Jackets fans have become accustomed to seeing from Jones.
7
With Alex Wennberg finding his home in front of the net on the powerplay, shots through traffic reached home at a much higher percentage. Seth Jones was a beneficiary of this effort which helped him to net seven power play goals. He was also able to find his teammates at a higher rate on the power play, slotting 17 assists with the man advantage.