Seth Jones was traded to the Florida Panthers by the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday for goalie Spencer Knight and a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Florida also received a fourth-round pick in the 2026 draft.
"Seth is an elite veteran defenseman and a proven leader in our league," Panthers general manager Bill Zito said. "He has been one of the most consistent players of the past decade serving as a reliable workhorse on both sides of the puck, and he will help our club continue to compete at the highest level."
Jones is in the third season of an eight-year, $76 million contract ($9.5 million average annual value) he signed with the Blackhawks on July 28, 2021, and Chicago will retain 26 percent of Jones' salary. He was to the right of Niko Mikkola on the second defense pair and quarterbacking the second power-play unit during the morning skate ahead of Florida's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNSUN, SCRIPPS).
The Panthers (37-21-3) have won three in a row and eight of 10 and are second in the Atlantic Division, one point behind the Toronto Maple Leafs. The reigning Stanley Cup champions are three points ahead of the Lightning (35-20-4), winners of eight consecutive games.
"Adding a player like Seth is a big thing for us," Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. "A big thing from Bill to show us that he wants to give us all the possible chances to win.
"He's not going to be a rental, that's for sure. He's here for a long time. That's awesome. He's one of the best defensemen in the world. Playing against him is always tough. He's good at both ends of the puck. To add a guy like that is unbelievable."
The trade comes less than a week after Jones expressed frustration following a 2-1 loss to the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday. Chicago (18-35-7) is 31st in the NHL standings.
"We're the exact same team right now as we were Game 1," Jones said. "It's pretty evident out there. We haven't made any strides to be a better, more simple hockey team, and it shows. We don't get a lot of wins because of that."
Jones had previously told The Athletic on Feb. 21 that he was willing to waive his no-movement clause so he could be traded.
"I've been here the last four years through probably the darkest times the Blackhawks have seen for a while," Jones said. "I think things are moving up, they are moving forward, but I think my timeline might be different than Kyle (Davidson, Blackhawks general manager) and Norm's (Maciver, associate GM) and the Blackhawks.
"There's nothing against anybody. I'm not holding it against anybody what they decided to do here. Sometimes it's not in everyone's plans."
