Seth Jones #3 of the Nashville Predators skates the puck against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Bridgestone Arena on Feb. 27, 2014 in Nashville, Tenn. (Frederick Breedon, Getty Images)
Spotlight on… Seth Jones, defenseman, Predators
When: Tuesday, 7 p.m., at the Pepsi Center.
What’s up: Nashville, the Avalanche’s possible surprise successor as Central Division champion, will be in town with the player who for a long time was expected to be the No. 1 draft choice in 2013. Jones ended up going fourth.
Background: The son of Popeye Jones, who was with the Nuggets in 1999-2000, had seven goals and 25 points heading into Friday and was averaging 19:48 of ice time. The Predators haven’t babied him, but have had him in the second or third pairing and not overwhelmed with responsibility. With cornerstone defenseman Shea Weber out with a lower-body injury last week, Jones stepped up to the top pairing with Roman Josi and held his own.
Frei’s take: It’s the usual story for a young defenseman: Give him time. Aaron Ekblad has been terrific as a Florida rookie, but he’s an exception. But while Nathan MacKinnon’s Calder Trophy season seemed to validate the Avs’ choice at No. 1, before his regression and eventual season-ending broken foot, it’s not as if the Nos. 2 and 3 picks — forwards Alek- sander Barkov of Florida (22 goals in two seasons entering the weekend), Jonathan Drouin of Tampa Bay (three goals as a rookie this season) — have been tearing up the NHL.
