Reader poll: revisiting the Jones trade

The week has finally arrived. Former Everett property Seth Jones will play his first game at Comcast Arena on Saturday when the Portland Winterhawks come to town.

You probably know the story. The Tips selected Jones in the first round of the 2009 bantam draft. Everett spent years courting the superstar defenseman and son of former NBA player Popeye Jones, only for him to announce during the offseason he wouldn’t play for the Tips. Everett, compelled to trade his rights, dealt him to Portland in exchange for four prospects: forwards Tyler Sandhu and Mitch Skapski and defensemen Ben Betker and Reece Willcox.

Jones has reportedly been great for Portland, reinforcing his status as one of the top two players in the 2013 NHL draft. Sandhu is leading Everett in goals as a 16-year-old, while Betker is a regular on defense. It’s unknown whether Skapski or Willcox will ever play for Everett, with Skapski being questionable and Willcox being doubtful.

It’s still too early to make a definitive judgment on the trade, but it’s not too early to begin having an opinion. So:

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