The former Avalanche defenseman remains under contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins but is now facing another trip to the AHL after being placed on waivers, months after serving a 20-game suspension following a positive drug test.
A former Colorado Avalanche defenseman could be running out of chances to stick in the NHL.
Caleb Jones, the younger brother of Stanley Cup champion Seth Jones, was placed on waivers Saturday by the Pittsburgh Penguins with the intention of reassigning him to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
The 29-year-old has appeared in just 13 NHL games over the past two seasons, splitting that time between the Los Angeles Kings and Penguins. Jones played seven games for Pittsburgh last season, recording one assist.
Now, his NHL future is once again uncertain.
Jones began his professional career in the Edmonton Oilers organization after being selected in the fourth round of the 2015 NHL Draft. After several seasons developing between the Western Hockey League and AHL, he earned his first NHL opportunity in December 2018, making his debut with Edmonton against the Philadelphia Flyers.
He eventually moved on from Edmonton in 2021, when the Oilers traded him to the Chicago Blackhawks as part of the deal that brought veteran defenseman Duncan Keith to Edmonton.
After two seasons in Chicago, Jones signed with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2023. He never played a regular-season game for Carolina, though, as the Hurricanes traded him to Colorado on Oct. 10, 2023, in exchange for forward Callahan Burke.
Jones had already been assigned to the Colorado Eagles before the trade and eventually made his way into the Avalanche lineup. He appeared in 25 games for Colorado during the 2023-24 season, recording five assists.
That proved to be his only season in burgundy and blue.
Jones left Colorado as a free agent the following summer and signed with the Kings. He appeared in six NHL games with Los Angeles during the 2024-25 season but went scoreless and spent most of the campaign with the Ontario Reign.
Pittsburgh then gave Jones another opportunity, signing him to a two-year, $1.8 million contract in July 2025.
That deal has not gone as planned. Jones was suspended for 20 games without pay in February 2026 for violating the NHL and NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program. He has since bounced between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Now, the Penguins are looking to send him back to the AHL once again.
