Seth Jones gets 6-year deal from Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed young defenceman Seth Jones to a six-year contract, the team announced Wednesday.

Jones, 21, will reportedly earn an average annual salary of $5.4 million US. Agent Pat Brisson confirmed to The Associated Press the terms of the contract, which includes a modified no-trade clause in years five and six.

Columbus acquired Jones in a January trade that sent forward Ryan Johansen to Nashville — the team that drafted Jones fourth overall in 2013. In 41 games with Columbus, Jones had two goals and 18 assists. Including his time with the Predators, he averaged 22:04 of ice time last season and set career highs in assists (28), points (31) and shots on goal (157).

Jones had been eligible to become a restricted free agent on July 1, and Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said reaching a long-term agreement with Jones was an off-season priority.

"At 21, Seth is just beginning to tap into his potential as a player," the GM said. "He has everything you look for in a defenceman and is going to be a very important player and leader on our team for many years."

After using up significant cap space to sign Jones, the Blue Jackets bought out the final two years of defenceman Fedor Tyutin's contract. He was set to count $4.5 million against the cap, and this move saves almost $3.3 million.

Wild re-sign Jason Zucker

The Minnesota Wild have re-signed left wing Jason Zucker to a two-year, $4 million contract.

The deal was done Wednesday, preventing Zucker from becoming a restricted free agent. He will make $2 million in each of the next two seasons.

The 24-year-old played in a career-high 71 games last season, producing 13 goals and 10 assists. He ranked second on the Wild with 40 takeaways.

A native of Las Vegas, Zucker could be among the players the Wild consider leaving unprotected in the expansion draft next summer for the new franchise. Drafted in the second round in 2010, Zucker has been up and down over the last four years, appearing in 169 games. He had 21 goals in 51 games in the 2014-15 season, interrupted by a broken collarbone.