Blue Jackets won't hesitate to match offer sheet for Jones

If a team out there is thinking about signing Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones to an offer sheet, it probably shouldn't bother.

Jones, who will turn 22 in early October, is a restricted free agent after being acquired from the Nashville Predators. He had three goals and 28 assists last season.

The club and Jones are working on a long-term contract.

"It's a work in progress. I'm confident everything will be taken care of," general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said, according to The Columbus Dispatch's Aaron Portzline.