Chicago makes massive trade that sets them up for the future!

 

Seth Jones desired to be a part of the contender. In the end, he went to the champions.

trade alert🔔

📰 ➡︎ https://t.co/gjN0lotc2c pic.twitter.com/c2Bkza5FTG

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 2, 2025

Jones was acquired by the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Saturday night from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for goalie Spencer Knight, a 2026 fourth-round pick, and a conditional first-round pick in the next year's draft.


Additionally, the Blackhawks are keeping 26% of Jones' pay, or around US$2.5 million a year. Florida's next game is against the Tampa Bay Lightning at home on Monday. 

It is another huge acquisition for Florida, which already has key players such as Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell, Carter Verhaeghe and Gustav Forsling locked up for at least three more seasons after this — and now lands a top-line defenceman in Jones, who is under contract through 2030.

"Seth is an elite veteran defenceman and a proven leader in our league,” said Bill Zito, the general manager and president of hockey operations for the Panthers.

“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.”

In the 2013 entry selection, Nashville selected the 30-year-old Jones with the fourth overall pick, two spots ahead of Florida, which selected Barkov, its current captain, that year. There was much conjecture that the Panthers would select Jones with the No. 2 pick that year because he was the top-ranked player on the NHL Central Scouting list of North American players in that draft.

Instead, they took Barkov. Jones and Barkov are now teammates after more than 11 years.

In the first round (13th overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft, Knight was initially selected by the Florida Panthers. He played for Boston College (NCAA) for two seasons before being picked, going 39-12-3 in 54 games with a 2.05 goals-against average, a.931 save percentage, and eight shutouts. Knight finished as a Top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award and was named the NCAA Hockey East Player of the Year and Hockey East Goaltender of the Year in his second season with Boston College in 2020–21.

In his 80 career games, the 6-foot-3, 191-pound goalie has a 44-25-7 record and five shutouts, all with Florida. Among all NHL goaltenders who have played in 80 games or fewer, he is tied for the most shutouts with five since his 2020–21 debut. During the 2021–22 season, he went 19-9-3 with two shutouts in 27 games, setting a career high of 19 wins. Knight has also participated in 58 games with the American Hockey League's Charlotte Checkers, recording a 33-19-5 record, 2.50 goals against average,.905 save percentage, and eight shutouts.