Panthers beef up defense by trading Spencer Knight for Blackhawks’ Seth Jones
The Florida Panthers have swung for their big trade ahead of the NHL’s Friday deadline.
The Panthers on Saturday traded goaltender Spencer Knight and a 2026 or 2027 first-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for five-time All-Star defenseman Seth Jones and a 2026 fourth-round pick.
Jones, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, is in Year 3 of an 8-year deal that has an average cap hit of $9.5 million. With Chicago retaining $2.5 million of that salary, the Panthers will have a $7 million annual cap hit for Jones.
“Seth is an elite veteran defenseman and a proven leader in our league,” Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito said in a press release announcing the deal. “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.”
Financially, the deal puts Florida right at the edge of the salary cap. According to PuckPedia, the Panthers will have $550,932 in cap space left after the deal after taking on the $7 million and sending Knight and his $4.5 million contract to Chicago.
The 30-year-old defenseman has 97 goals and 432 points over his 12-year NHL career. He has seven goals and 27 points this season. Of his 97 goals, 27 have come on the power play.
The Blackhawks are in Anaheim Saturday playing the Ducks. Jones is expected to join the Panthers before Monday’s home game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Knight, the 13th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, went 44-25-7 in 80 appearances (70 starts) for the Panthers. That includes a 12-8-1 record with a 2.40 goals against average and .907 save percentage this season in 23 appearance (21 starts). Knight spent all of last season with the Charlotte Checkers, the Panthers’ American Hockey League affiliate, after he spent the end of the 2022-23 season in the NHL and NHL Players Association’s joint player assistance program after dealing with an ongoing case with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
“On behalf of the entire Florida Panthers organization, we would like to thank Spencer for his many contributions to our club and the South Florida community both on and off the ice,” Zito said. “He is a first-class individual and we wish him success in his young professional career.”
With Knight gone, Florida will most likely call up Chris Driedger from AHL Charlotte to be Sergei Bobrovsky’s backup.
This story was originally published March 1, 2025 at 8:14 PM.
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