The Chicago Blackhawks parted ways with longtime veteran defenseman Seth Jones on Saturday, agreeing to ship him to the reigning champion Florida Panthers in exchange for young goaltender Spencer Knight and a conditional 2026 first-round pick.
It's a deal that made plenty of sense for Chicago, given their current position in the league standings and Jones's contract which pays him $9.5 million per season through the 2029-30 season. After Jones requested a trade a few weeks prior, the Blackhawks were successful in navigating a deal for the 30-year-old and getting (most of) his contract off the books. The team is retaining 26.3% ($2.5 million) of his contract, but they got back some valuable assets in exchange.
trade alert🔔
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 2, 2025
📰 ➡︎ https://t.co/gjN0lotc2c pic.twitter.com/c2Bkza5FTG
As for Jones, he'll get the chance to join a contender, having waived his no-trade clause in order to join the Panthers, who are looking to make another deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
With just a few days to go until the 2025 NHL trade deadline, Florida and Chicago got the ball rolling early, and fans had plenty to say about the blockbuster deal.
Damn as a Leafs fan I don’t like seeing the Panthers get better but I really like this trade. Seth Jones gets new life in Florida and the Cats get stronger. Good for him. I think he’ll be awesome in Sunrise. Toronto, you’re on the clock. #timetohunt
— Paul Bissonnette (@BizNasty2point0) March 2, 2025
Seth Jones is a Florida Panther.
— Mike Kelly (@MikeKellyNHL) March 2, 2025
Manages the puck well, snaps a good first pass, is disruptive defensively and ranks top-20 among defencemen in points per game this season. https://t.co/mO6Rn2xtd6 pic.twitter.com/CLETFWa7HR
The Panthers land Seth Jones. pic.twitter.com/RIIZpXCIim
— Dustin Nielson (@nielsonTSN1260) March 2, 2025
Before I finally go to bed, pay attention to how the narrative around Seth Jones suddenly changes because he’s in Florida. The same people that panned him will be fawning over him. Mark my words.
— Jay Zawaski (@jayzawaski) March 2, 2025
ONLY RETAINING 25% OF SETH JONES SALARY pic.twitter.com/qaTf5KPwMY
— kev (@drunktankpiink) March 2, 2025
My opinion of seth jones is that he’s not as good as nhl teams think he is but also that he’s better than twitter thinks he is
— ryan (@AngryPredsFan) March 2, 2025
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NHL Fans React After Panthers Acquire Seth Jones in Blockbuster Trade With Blackhawks.
