Things move fast in the NHL. A few years ago, it looked like Christian Jaros might carve out a long-term role on the Ottawa Senators’ blue line. The 6-foot-3, 224-pound defenseman had the size and mobility, and he was a coveted right shot to boot.
Back in 2015, when Ottawa selected him in the fifth round (139th overall), there was optimism that he might grow into a reliable NHL contributor. That same draft, the Senators had picked Thomas Chabot 18th overall.
At their first development camp together, they had chemistry right away. From this vantage point, the two looked for all the world like a natural pairing for the future. Jaros seemed like he might be the future Marc Methot to Chabot's Erik Karlsson.
While Chabot returned to Quebec Junior for a couple of years, Jaros took the development path through Sweden before joining the Belleville Senators. By the 2018–19 season, right after Karlsson was shipped to San Jose, Jaros looked like he was turning the corner, suiting up for 61 games with Ottawa and putting up 10 points.
But things quickly went off track. The following year, the arrival of Ron Hainsey, Nikita Zaitsev, and new head coach D.J. Smith altered the Sens' defensive landscape. Suddenly, Jaros was back in Belleville to start the 2019-20 season. Injuries didn’t help either, and Jaros struggled to find traction. He played only 47 total games that year, splitting time between Belleville and Ottawa. The year after, despite Hainsey's retirement, Jaros was blocked again with the arrival of Artem Zub and Erik Gudbranson.
Jaros was eventually dealt to the San Jose Sharks for the 2020-21 season but trying to stay in the lineup remained a challenge. Jaros managed just 18 games split between the Sharks and their AHL affiliate. Another trade sent him to New Jersey, where he dressed for only 11 games during the 2021–22 season.
Jaros finally decided to try his luck in the KHL in 2022-23. Over three seasons in Russia, he rediscovered some NHL desire. Last year, he appeared in 51 games with CSKA Moscow, recording 12 points and staying relatively healthy.
Now 29, Jaros returns to North America this fall, signing a one-year contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets earlier this month.
His odds of cracking the Jackets’ NHL lineup might be slim, but big, mobile right-shot defensemen like Jaros are tough to find, and maybe he found some of his old swagger in the KHL.
After years of setbacks and reinvention, it’s easy to pull for an ex-Senator product who's still out there battling, looking to prove he belongs in the world’s best league.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
Image Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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