As Panthers host Blackhawks, the Jones-for-Knight trade is looking like a win-win
It has been seven months since the Florida Panthers swung their first trade that had a lasting impact on them winning their second consecutive Stanley Cup.
On March 1, Florida acquired defenseman Seth Jones from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for goaltender Spencer Knight and a first-round pick.
As the two prepare to face their former teams on Tuesday with the Panthers and Blackhawks opening the season against each other at Amerant Bank Arena, it looks to be one of those trades that ends up as a win for both sides in the long run.
Jones, after being on a team that was dwelling at the bottom of the standings and in the midst of a youth movement, won a Stanley Cup with the Panthers and is with them for the next five seasons as they try to continue their dynasty.
Knight, after spending his entire Panthers tenure as a backup or with the team’s American Hockey League affiliate Charlotte Checkers, now has the chance to prove he can be a full-time NHL starter. The Blackhawks signed him to a three-year contract extension that runs through the 2028-29 season.
“Yeah, winning the Stanley Cup, for sure, is the best-case scenario,” Jones said Monday with a laugh. “It didn’t matter if it was Florida or wherever else. I’m happy I’m here. It’s a great team. It’s great guys off the ice. I felt like I’ve been here forever when I got here.”
Added Knight: “It’s been nothing but great things. I’ve been very fortunate to be a part of two great organizations.”
Jones revitalized career with Florida
For Jones, the trade to Florida was a needed reset for his career.
He was originally dealt to the Blackhawks ahead of the 2021-22 season, but things didn’t quite go as planned there. They fired coach Jeremy Colliton 12 games in and quickly went into rebuild mode — not the direction Jones had planned — and Jones finally wanted out last season.
He got his wish, getting dealt to the Panthers in March.
“It was a whirlwind,” Jones said of his Chicago tenure. “It was kind of hard to really even get my footing under me because it kind of came crashing down my first year there. But I made a lot of great friends, a lot of great people in the organization. The hockey aspect of it, everyone kind of had a hard time there, I think. They’re really young now. They’re really fast, and I think in the next few years it’s going to be be awesome to kind of see them grow together as a group over there.”
Meanwhile in Florida, the Panthers are already where Chicago wants to be. Jones immediately beefed up the Panthers’ blue line depth and saw his game pick up in the playoffs when he became full-time defense partners with Niko Mikkola.
“He took off for the playoffs,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “There is a learning curve — and this isn’t just the Florida Panthers. Every team has their own systems, their own style. He adapted. I thought it would take a year. ... Seth took much shorter.”
And now he’s already a Stanley Cup champion. He was the first player to get his championship ring during the team’s private ceremony on Monday.
On Tuesday, before he faces his former team for the first time, he’ll watch a championship banner rise into the rafters.
“It’s going to be an exciting time not just for us, but for the organization in raising that banner and trying to get a win,’’ Jones said Monday morning. “It should be pretty cool. This is a pretty special group and while it’s a celebration, it’s a turning of a page. It’s a new chapter.”
Knight has ‘ingredients’ to be top goalie
Speaking of new chapters, the same can be said for Knight.
While he isn’t currently near contending for a team championship, he is in a better position now to further his individual career.
Knight held his own during his time with the Panthers. He went 44-25-7 in 80 games (70 starts) with a .906 save percentage, 2.76 goals against average and five shutouts but was destined to stay in the No. 2 role behind Sergei Bobrovsky.
In Chicago, he gets the chance to be the guy — a role the Panthers knew he could eventually get to one day.
“He has all the ingredients to be the one of the best goalies in the game,” Bobrovsky said, “and I think he’s going to do that.”
Knight went 5-8-2 in 15 starts with Chicago after the trade, posting a .893 save percentage and 3.18 goals against average but is preparing for his first year as a full-time starter.
He still has a soft spot for Florida. He learned from the “gold standard” in Bobrovsky and will try to parlay those lessons with the Panthers into his new role with the Blackhawks.
“I obviously grew as a young pro through here and Charlotte,” Knight said. “You just learn what it means to be an NHL player and the stuff that it takes day in, day out. And then in Chicago, it’s been nice to just have an opportunity to continue that really, and I’m appreciative of that too. It’s been great being here.”
And Panthers fans still have a soft spot for him. They chanted his name during the national anthem pregame, with a few fans still doing so long after his departure.
He’ll get a warm welcome in his return on Tuesday.
“That’s funny,” Knight said. “Honestly, I didn’t know they still did that. But that’s cool. Again, from top to bottom, the whole community here … the people, the community were just very nice, kind, very appreciative. I am really thankful that I was able to start here and I hope that I gave some people some good memories.”
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