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.
