The best of Seth Jones ... so far

Everyone knows Seth Jones is good.

But it might have taken a little time without him for everyone who watches the Blue Jackets on a nightly basis to realize just how good he is.

When Jones went down with a broken bone in his ankle in an early February game, a Columbus team that has gotten used to having a perennial Norris Trophy contender on its blue line had to play without him.

It might not be a coincidence, then, that Columbus won just three of the 14 games in which Jones did not play. That's a bit of an oversimplification of the issues at hand, but it's also true that not having Jones on the ice led to a noticeable difference.

Simply put, he's one of the elite defensemen in the league, someone who stands out in all situations. Jones played 25:17 per night for Columbus, just shy of a career high, and was chosen to play in all key spots -- at the beginning and end of periods, on the power play and on the penalty kill, and you can't forget just how much he stands out in 3-on-3 overtime. That's in part because he checks off every box a defenseman has to have -- poise, intelligence, hockey sense, feel, skating ability and more.

So even as Jones finished with six goals and 30 points in 56 games as well as a plus-10 rating and yet another bid to the NHL All-Star Game, he found himself wanting more.

"I probably haven't for the most part played my most consistent hockey in the first half of the season, but it's still pretty cool to be there (at the All-Star Game)," he said earlier this year. "(I can do more) for sure. Kind of a slow start to the season for me, but I think I've gotten a little more consistent out there the past few weeks."

Indeed he had, and then the injury hit, but the good news is the leg will be in good shape going forward for the CBJ standout.

The NHL plans to resume the season in the coming weeks with training camps due to begin July 10, but for now, watch the video above for highlights from Jones' season.