The trade wind is blowing. Earlier tonight, the Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers were linked to a trade that sent defender Seth Jones to the Panthers in exchange for goalkeeper Spencer Knight and a conditional first-round draft pick. Here are the full details of the transaction:
Jones said he wanted to trade from Chicago and the Blackhawks did give him to contenders. They retained 25% of their remaining five and a half years of contract, but it’s worth getting rid of his deal. As for the Panthers, they paid a high price to acquire Jones, but is it worth it?
Black Hawk knocked it down the park
Let’s start with the Blackhawks, because getting the Cavaliers is very important for their reconstruction. Arvid Soderblom has taken a step forward in the development of the season, saving expected 5.3 goals, but they now have Knight’s future goalkeeper who can connect with Soderblom.
Knight has only played 23 games this season, but he has performed stably, saving a total of 0.907 while saving six goals that exceeded expectations. That’s 6.3 goals better than Sergei Bobrovsky, so you can say he’s better than two goalkeepers for the Panthers.
The Cavaliers are only 23 years old, and goalkeepers tend to be later than defense and forwards. The Blackhawks still have jobs to build their own blue line, but if Soderblom can succeed this season, the Cavaliers may be able to do so.
No matter what year it is, a first-round pick is unlikely to be a high draft pick, as the Panthers should be contenders for the foreseeable future, but that doesn’t matter because they get the Cavaliers. They already have a promising prospect pool and have two goalkeepers to build with Soderblom and Knight.
Even if the Blackhawks have a $2.5 million dead cap on their book in more than five seasons, given that he doesn’t deserve that price, it’s better than getting Jones’ full $9.5 million block shot hit rate. I didn’t expect the Blackhawks to pay such a good return for Jones, but General Manager Kyle Davidson made it happen. From their perspective, this is not something to hate.
Black Hawk Level:
Black Panther Adventure Jones
I’m not sure Jones doesn’t want to influence his game in Chicago, but even so, he’s not a $9.5 million defensive player. According to the sports, Jones’ market value this season is worth $3.8 million. (Excerpt from “NHL Player Card: Central Division” – Track and Field, 2/23/2025). Even if it keeps, the Panthers risk Jones on the books, with a cap of $7 million.
Related: NHL Trade Bait List for 2025 Trade Deadline
At the same time, you never know the changes to the Stanley Cup contenders like the Panthers did. We see Brandon Montour change his career in three years of sunrise, and maybe Jones can do the same on a better team than the Blackhawks. Still, Jones is 31 years old at the start of next season and he will only fall further as he gets older. He is already trying to defend his hasty efforts, which tends to get worse as he gets older.
They also lost to Knight’s Bobrowski. The Panthers have no pipeline for anyone else, and Bobrovsky shows signs of a 36-year-old slowdown this season. He turns 37 at the start of next season and may play for another year or two at a level of ability, but losing the Cavaliers can have long-term effects.
Overall, I don’t like this kind of deal with the Panthers. I think Jones can be better than the Blackhawks, but I’m not sure he’ll match his hat hit rate even at a reserved price. Additionally, as Bobrovsky began showing signs of decline, they might regret trading the Cavaliers. Knight is their best surplus asset, but they may do something more certain for him.
Black Panther Level: C+
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