Jan 24, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones (4) is pictured before a game against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Blackhawks have traded defenseman Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers in a blockbuster deal.
The Blackhawks also traded a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft to the Panthers in the deal, which came about after Jones requested a trade from Chicago earlier this season.
In exchange, the Blackhawks received goaltender Spencer Knight and a conditional 2026 first-round draft pick, according to a press release from the team.
That pick could become a 2027 pick if the Panthers trade the selection to another club, according to multiple reports.
Jones was traded to the Blackhawks prior to the 2021-22 season and signed an eight-year contract extension with the team. In 259 games with Chicago, Jones had 32 goals and 114 assists.
He made one All-Star Game appearance with Chicago, but he slowly became more frustrated with the team’s lackluster play and requested a trade earlier this season.
Now he will get a fresh start in Florida for a Panthers team that has the second-best record in the Eastern Conference and is aiming for a second consecutive Stanley Cup championship.
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Knight, a first-round pick of the Panthers in the 2019 NHL Draft, has appeared in 23 games this season for the Panthers with a 12-8-1 record and a 2.40 goals against average. In 80 career games, he had a 44-25-7 record with a 2.76 goals against average and a save percentage of .906.
The salary cap implications of the deal are also important to the Blackhawks, as they will retain $2.5 million of Jones’ cap hit for the remainder of his contract, which will span for five full seasons before expiring in 2030.
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What’s more, Knight has a cap hit of $4.5 million this season and next, then will be a restricted free agent.
The Blackhawks now have retained salary on three players this season. Forward Mikko Rantanen, who was traded from the Colorado Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes, counts for $4.625 million against the cap for Chicago, and defenseman Jake McCabe, whom the Blackhawks traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2023, counts for $2 million against the cap.
Both of those contracts will come off the books after this season.
