One of the things that excites me about Jones is that you can tell he grew up with professional athletes in his family.
The way he conducts himself during interviews, handles business with his agent, and handles himself on the ice shows a level of maturity that is often lacking in 21 year old players.
This is a player who is going to always say the right things, show up to meetings, respect coaches, follow a solid training regimen, and lead by example. He isn't going to try to break the RFA contract record just for the heck of it. He lets his play speak for itself.
I'm not saying he's going to necessarily sacrifice it all for the team, nor should he. He knows what he's worth and he knows how to get it in a way which doesn't burn bridges or reflect poorly upon the organization. I think that attitude and approach is going to help the team. More importantly, though, it's going to help Jones even more going forward.
And while this may seem like a criticism of Johansen, it's not much of one. Johansen also let his play do a lot of the talking. He obviously didn't miss meetings nor did he have problems conducting himself as a proper teammate. Has a few attitude problems, but nothing that shouldn't be overlooked for a player of his caliber. And I think he'll change as he gets older.
But with Jones, he knows what way the winds are blowing. Jones has the ability if he wanted to be a "me first" guy and he'd get away with it. But he knows Davidson and Jarmo's attitudes towards players who put themselves ahead of the team. And he has the acumen to behave accordingly. That will get him far in the league.
So call it what you want. Maybe he should be a bit of a bigger personality or put himself ahead of the team. But what I see is maturity, composure, and confidence that he is (and is going to be) a franchise player. And that speaks louder than anything.
