Seth Jones Traded to Panthers; Blackhawks Get Spencer Knight, 1st-Round NHL Draft Pick

Seth Jones is parting ways with the Chicago Blackhawks just three seasons into his eight-year deal with the team.

The veteran defenseman has been traded to the Florida Panthers in exchange for goaltender Spencer Knight and a first-round pick, the Blackhawks announced Saturday.

The Blackhawks retained $2.5 million of Jones' $9.5 million AAV salary as part of the deal, according to Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff.

Chicago now gains a boost to the goaltending depth chart in Knight, who has backed up Sergei Bobrovsky for three seasons in Florida.

Knight has a .907 save percentage and 2.40 goals against average in 23 appearances and 21 starts this season for the reigning Stanley Cup champs. He will now have the chance to take over for Petr Mrázek as the starter in Chicago.

Jones, who has a full no-movement clause, had control over where the Blackhawks traded him.

The defenseman told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times on Feb. 19 that while he had not formally requested a trade, he wanted to give himself "a chance to win in my career."

The Blackhawks originally acquired Jones from the Columbus Blue Jackets in summer 2021 after news broke he wouldn't re-sign with the Jackets when his contract expired in 2022.

The Hawks signed Jones to an eight-year extension shortly after. Former Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman said at the time the move was a decision made to "accelerate" the team's rebuild.

In four seasons since that trade, the Blackhawks have yet to approach a .500 win percentage. The team hasn't topped 30 wins since the 2019-20 season. And despite three straight years of top-10 draft picks, highlighted by the selection of WHL phenom Connor Bedard at the top of the 2023 draft, that doesn't look set to change in 2024-25.

Although Jones has continued to serve as a key part of both his team's power play and penalty kill since the trade, he has meanwhile seen his defensive effectiveness decline at even strength (h/t JFresh Hockey.)

After missing 16 games with a broken foot early in the 2024-25 season, he struggled defensively early following his return from injury.

Jones is likely to continue seeing special teams minutes with his new team, while hoping getting the chance to play for a playoff contender will help steady his game at 5v5.

The Blackhawks will meanwhile get a boost to their goaltending depth and a first-round pick that will help them continue rebuilding around Bedard.