Chicago Blackhawks trade Seth Jones to Florida Panthers for G Spencer Knight and conditional 2026 1st-round pick
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Chicago Blackhawks have traded defenseman Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers, the team announced late Saturday.
The Hawks will receive goaltender Spencer Knight and a conditional 2026 first-round pick, and they'll retain 26% of Jones' salary. His contract runs through the 2029-30 season.
Jones, 30, went public last month with his desire to play for a contender and asked Hawks management to facilitate a trade.
'Your prime's only so long,' he told the Tribune on Feb. 22 before the Hawks played the Blue Jackets in Columbus, Ohio. 'You're only going to play your best hockey for so long. To me, it was something to think about. Obviously I got advice from my agent (Pat Brisson) and things like that too. This is kind of the solution I came up with.'
The defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers are second in the Eastern Conference.
News of the trade came just hours before the Hawks
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
25 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Nate Schmidt surprisingly leads Panthers in scoring in the Stanley Cup Final
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla — The Florida Panthers' leading scorer through two games of the Stanley Cup Final is not Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov or Sam Reinhart. It's Nate Schmidt. Yes, the journeyman defenseman who was bought out last summer and is playing for just above the NHL veteran minimum. Schmidt has four points, three of them primary assists, against the Edmonton Oilers. 'He's been great,' teammate Gustav Forsling said. 'He's been playing unreal, making some huge, huge plays for us in key moments.' Schmidt is 33 and seven years removed from his first trip to the final, losing with Vegas in the Golden Knights' inaugural season to the Washington Capitals, who he broke into the league. He is one of the newcomers who were not part of Florida's title run last year and are looking to hoist the Cup for the first time. 'It's incredibly hard to get back to this stage, and this time I'm just trying to slow it down and enjoy it,' said Schmidt, who has gone from fresh faced with floppy hair to a shaved head and full beard. 'This is the pinnacle of our sport, and be able to be here at the end is special.' Schmidt said it's 'kind of reminding yourself that you have that game in you and you're just unlocking it.' He has reminded coach Paul Maurice of the player he was earlier in his career. 'He's getting up the ice, and he looks like he did when he was a kid when he first came into the league in Washington,' Maurice said. 'He was dynamic with the way he'd get up the ice. And then coaches beat that out of you and take the fun out of the game for you, but it looks like he's found his fun again.' Oilers changes At their practice in Sunrise, the Oilers unveiled defense pairs that were all different from the first two games. Darnell Nurse and Evan Bouchard were put together, Swedes Mattias Ekholm and John Klingberg, and Brett Kulak with Jake Walman. They quickly downplayed the impact, saying assistant Paul Coffey, a Hall of Fame defenseman as a player, has been changing things up like this all season. 'Our D corps all year long, it depends on sometimes what day of the week, we could be playing with someone new,' Nurse said. 'Even over the course of a game, you'll be playing with three or four different people, so there's a comfort level everyone has with whoever you're out there playing with.' Ryan Nugent-Hopkins did not skate, with healthy scratch Jeff Skinner taking his place on the top line. Coach Kris Knoblauch started to say he thinks Nugent-Hopkins will be in for Game 3 before calling Edmonton's longest-tenured player a game-time decision. Ekblad is fine Florida's Aaron Ekblad took a puck off his left hand in the second overtime of Game 2 on a shot by Nurse and was writhing in pain on the bench. He missed one shift before returning, practiced and declared himself good to go. 'It's just a routine blocked shot,' Ekblad said. 'Stick your hand out for it and try and get it knocked down and get off the ice as quickly as possible, because when you get that stinger you can't really grip for a second. But all good now.' McDavid's assist Connor McDavid wowed in Game 2 when he deked around Barkov and Ekblad and passed the puck to Leon Draisaitl for a one-timer power-play goal that was still getting talked about two days later. 'That was pretty routine in Erie back in the day,' said Oilers winger Connor Brown, who was junior teammates there with McDavid more than a decade ago. 'To do what he's doing (on) the stage that he doing it at, we're lucky to have him.' Ekblad said McDavid having multiple options is the biggest challenge in defending the undisputed best hockey player in the world with otherworldly abilities. 'You're trying to block a shot, you're trying to block a low pass, a backdoor pass and a walk-on-water toe drag,' Ekblad said. 'So, yeah, McJesus.' McDavid blushed when asked about what it takes to make that kind of play, fumbling over words like opponents fumble to try to contain him before coming up with, 'A lot goes into that.' Draisaitl, sitting beside him, chimed in: 'You can't learn that. Let me answer it for you. I'll answer it for him.'
NBC Sports
30 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
South Florida pro sports teams are inspired by the success of the Florida Panthers
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Jaylen Waddle considers himself the Florida Panthers' good luck charm. The Miami Dolphins wide receiver has been to several Panthers hockey games over the years. He banged the drum before a postseason matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning last season. He cheered on coach Paul Maurice's team after a thrilling overtime win over Tampa Bay this year. By Waddle's estimation, whenever he's in the building, that equals a win for his favorite hockey team. 'I'm going to go to the finals,' Waddle quipped after a practice. 'I think they need to invite me sometime soon in an important game, because I think they're pretty undefeated when I'm there. 'Panthers – Hey, I'll be waiting.' The Panthers are in the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight year. They're three wins away from defending their 2024 title. The Panthers went from winning just 25 playoff games in their first 28 seasons combined to winning more than 40 — and counting — in the past three seasons. And their general manager, Bill Zito, has been in conversations for GM of the Year for several seasons after building title-contending rosters year after year. They're the pinnacle of success in South Florida, and other pro sports teams in the region have taken notice. Many are inspired by what the Panthers have built and use it as a blueprint for success. 'I think the Florida Panthers as an organization have done an unbelievable job of creating a sense of, 'We've been here before,' or a certain level of expectancy of performance,' Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. 'All of those things, you can never have too many friendly reminders of what you're fighting for. There's nothing more motivating than watching people that really sacrifice hard earned monthly income to support athletic performance. You can feel it.' The Dolphins once were that team for South Florida. Nearly 53 years ago, a fiery coach named Don Shula guided Miami to the NFL's only perfect season. Reminders of that dominant Dolphins era still are plastered throughout South Florida. But it's been a while since Miami has been such a powerhouse. The Dolphins went to the playoffs in each McDaniel's first two seasons in Miami. They missed them last year and have not won a postseason game since 2000 — the longest such streak in the NFL. Waddle and other Dolphins players, including standout defensive tackle Zach Sieler and linebacker Bradley Chubb have been to Panthers games recently. For them, watching a run like the Panthers' is just the motivation they need. 'They definitely bring an urge to the city,' Waddle said. 'Every professional sport in the city, it's just like they're pretty much the standard with all that they've accomplished over the past years. It's definitely like a fire under us to try to match them.' Before the Miami Marlins got ready for a midweek game against the San Francisco Giants, manager Clayton McCullough donned a bright red Florida Panthers hat. The first-year Marlins manager doesn't necessarily consider himself a huge hockey follower. He's only able to catch scores here and there. 'But I'm a fan now of our local Panthers team,' McCullough said. 'I hope they can repeat as Stanley Cup champions.' McCullough has been tasked with being a centerpiece of the Marlins' latest rebuild. Miami went 62-100 last season, dropping at least 100 games for the second time in six seasons. He knows what success looks like after winning the World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers as their first base coach last season. He said it's good for the entire city when one team is winning titles. 'We're all part of a fabric here in the community,' McCullough said. 'When one team is doing well, it's great for the entire area, for South Florida, for them to be doing so well. And we hope too that we're making deep runs in September and October in the years to come. 'The fanbase, they get galvanized by that, and we'd love to support all of our pro teams here that are successful.' Maurice and the Panthers players feel the support, and they have no problem sharing their triumphs. 'There's room for all of us down here. There's certainly enough people,' Maurice said. 'I think it's a great thing that you have sports that are foundational: football, basketball, baseball. And then the new sport, hockey. And there's room for everybody there. So how about we just share it? Share the spotlight, share all of it. ... There's room for everybody here. We're happy to be a part of it.'
Fox Sports
an hour ago
- Fox Sports
Sports betting roundup: Stanley Cup Final and NBA Finals each at 1-1 headed into Game 3s
Associated Press The Stanley Cup Final and NBA Finals have each played two games, and both series are knotted at a game apiece. In the NHL, the Panthers won a double-overtime game Friday night against the Edmonton Oilers to tie that series at 1-1 heading into Monday's Game 3 in Florida. Both games have gone to overtime. In the NBA, the Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back from a Game 1 loss to even the series against the Indiana Pacers. Game 3 in that series is Wednesday night in Indianapolis. Trends of the Week After losing Game 1 to Indiana, Oklahoma City was an 11.5-point favorite in Game 2, and they comfortably covered, winning 123-107. At the BetMGM sportsbook, the Thunder took in 70% of the money, but only 37% of the bets. Since 2005, teams to lose as double-digit favorites in the NBA playoffs and be favored by 10 or more points in the next game are now 5-2 against the spread. Oklahoma City ended the first quarter on a 9-0 run to lead 26-20 after 12 minutes. This allowed the 4.5-point first quarter spread to cash, with 91% of the money coming in on the Thunder. Following Edmonton taking Game 1 against Florida, the Oilers were -235 to win the Stanley Cup. Now, with Florida winning Game 2, Florida is a slight favorite to win at -115, with Edmonton coming in at -105. Upset of the Week At the French Open, Coco Gauff (+185) upset Aryna Sabalenka to win the women's title. Only 29% of the money was on Gauff to win. On the men's side, Carlos Alcaraz came back from two sets down against Jannik Sinner to win a second straight French Open title. Alcaraz was +5000 live when he was down to sets. Ryan Fox won for the second time on the PGA Tour this season at the RBC Canadian Open. Fox beat Sam Burns on the fourth playoff hole after both players finished the event at 18 under. He was +5500 in pre-tournament winner betting, and took in only 0.8% of the bets and 1.7% of the money. Coming Up NFL minicamps get underway this week and the Philadelphia Eagles remain the favorites to win the Super Bowl at +650. The Eagles are followed by the Baltimore Ravens at +700, the Buffalo Bills at +750 and the Kansas City Chiefs at +800. The Detroit Lions round out the top five at +1000. ___ This column was provided to The Associated Press by BetMGM online sportsbook. ___ AP sports: recommended
