Confirmed with Link: [FLA/CHI] Seth Jones (25% retained) and 2026 4th round pick for 2027 1st round pick and Spencer Knight

[ShootIt]

Sign Luongo to be the backup

 

[BB88]

Hate this trade. Despise it. There's a reason ~90% of the non-Cats/Hawks fans think we lost it, badly.

It hasn't been talked about much in this thread but the lost 2026 first rounder is going to hurt. That draft is really deep and we just mortgaged more of our future.

This is on Zito. Monty left for $7.14M vs we're on the hook for $7M with Jones. (I realize the term is longer) Giving away Knight last offseason, even attaching a low level pick to entice someone, would have netted us (no pun intended) the same basic result and allowed us to keep our pick and Brandon.

I know there's no guarantee someone would have taken Spencer but if so, that's on Zito as well. He's the one who extended #30 for a ridiculously overmarket amount. This trade is the culmination of several bad decisions. I don't expect any GM to be 100% right but this series of choices has hurt the franchise.

I hope I'm wrong in the long term.

A late 1st round pick in -26 does nothing for their future, nothing.

They’ll trade it away for someone else within the next 12 months and try to win another Cup it 2.

That’s what they are thinking and not about drafting late in the 1st and selecting a most likely non impact player

 

[KW]

I don’t look at this trade asking did Panthers win or did Hawks win? Or did Jones win or Knight win?

The two franchises are at a totally different place. That’s why this trade is more of a win-win. Panthers get better for the window they have, Jones gets a chance to try for the Cup for real. Chicago gets a goalie for their potential good times starting in 3-4 years and Knight has a good chance to be their #1 with another good contract.

Nobody should cry about this. Our time is now, their time is later. Jones’ time is now or never, Spencer’s time was always going to be a bit later. Zito pulled another huge improvement at exactly the spot we needed, without sacrificing anything from the part of the team that’s critical right now. This almost never happens. And he got good retention on Jones too. Does anyone think Jones doesn’t look forward to playing against some western conference team like WPG, VGS, or DAL in the SCF? Hell yeah he does.

JMO but I think Zito is the best GM right now and it’s not even close.

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

One of Jones' big deficiencies is his skating. The Panthers' defensive system tends to limit how much defensemen are stressed in that regard, which you can see with Ekblad and Mikkola, IMO.

This is absolutely a case where I will simply trust Zito and see what happens. I think if Jones is willing to make an effort to buy into the team defensive concepts and play the way Paul Maurice wants him to play, this could work out very well for the Panthers. It's really up to him.

 

[Great8Cam]

I don't think that this is a high risk move at all since Jones is a know commodity to Zito. Many will probably argue that his Hawks career is indicative of what we should expect out of him but I think that ppl will be totally fine with him if he plays like Ekky without his skating looking like he's treading water.

Can't see Ekblad coming back with Jones in fold for the next five seasons and Ekblad probably wants to cash in with cap going up. I'm mildly excited about this development since now Forsling doesn't have to break his back with carrying Ekblad constantly.

Ekfat already cashed in for 7.5 m per year. That fat slug can take a 2m per year haircut if he wants to stay.

 

[vegarover]

Whats up with this 2026 pick that we may or may not have?

I think it got lost in the couch cushions somewhere.

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

Ekfat already cashed in for 7.5 m per year. That fat slug can take a 2m per year haircut if he wants to stay.

Having seen the new cap numbers, I think the ideal situation is that the team offers him Forsling money and he takes it.

 

[Ace Card Bedard]

So, does Mrazek keep the net in Chicago or does Spencer get it?

I assume Soda and Knight split duties.
Mrazek has been horrible this season.

 

[pantherbot]

Hate this trade. Despise it. There's a reason ~90% of the non-Cats/Hawks fans think we lost it, badly.

It hasn't been talked about much in this thread but the lost 2026 first rounder is going to hurt. That draft is really deep and we just mortgaged more of our future.

This is on Zito. Monty left for $7.14M vs we're on the hook for $7M with Jones. (I realize the term is longer) Giving away Knight last offseason, even attaching a low level pick to entice someone, would have netted us (no pun intended) the same basic result and allowed us to keep our pick and Brandon.

I know there's no guarantee someone would have taken Spencer but if so, that's on Zito as well. He's the one who extended #30 for a ridiculously overmarket amount. This trade is the culmination of several bad decisions. I don't expect any GM to be 100% right but this series of choices has hurt the franchise.

I hope I'm wrong in the long term.

There was no way to keep Monty if we signed Reino and didn't deal a bigger salary off the roster (Bob, Ekblad). Knight's cap hit would not be enough.

We're only able to do this from a cap standpoint because we're almost at the deadline and have accumulated enough cap space. Plus if we go over to accommodate another move we can LTIR Tkachuk if necessary.

I agree it sucks losing the 2026 1st, but that's likely equivalent to a mid-line player by 2030 (like a Mackie 5 years from now).

Also agree signing Knight to the initial big contract was a mistake, but you can't expect every move to be the right move. What's important is it didn't hurt our ability to win and Zito didn't stubbornly stick by his mistake like many GMs tend to do.

 

[mouser]

Do we know for sure if they legally can’t? Or could they gamble (a very safe gamble lmao) and move it anyways, and say in the event that somehow it is a top-10 pick then would the league penalize us in some other way? I have no idea. I’m just curious if they legally can’t move that pick

The funniest thing is we are probably Kucheroving Chucky, I love it.


I dont think so, @mouser can confirm though.

Teams cannot trade encumbered picks.

Trades are not official until approved by the NHL head office. If a team attempted to trade an encumbered draft pick the league would simply deny the trade.

 

[StrangeVision]

After sleeping on it, definitely super excited to get Jones, just hopefully goaltending doesn't become an issue going forward, Bob should be good for a while still. Getting him really helps assure our status as a top contender, even if we did have to mortgage the future a bit. As others have pointed out, the Cup window ain't gonna last forever, let's try to win as much as we can while we can.

 

[Sticksandsun]

As long as Bennett isn't traded, we're winning the Cup again.
Hope Knight becomes a legit goalie, the 1st isn't gonna be worth anything for years if anything at all.
I like Zitos aggressive nature but now we wait to see who the new backup is, it can't be Driedger.

 

[IdleTraveller]

There was no way to keep Monty if we signed Reino and didn't deal a bigger salary off the roster (Bob, Ekblad). Knight's cap hit would not be enough.

We're only able to do this from a cap standpoint because we're almost at the deadline and have accumulated enough cap space. Plus if we go over to accommodate another move we can LTIR Tkachuk if necessary.

Agreed - definitely would have preferred Montour to Jones but we simply couldn't afford him with our cap situation last year, even if we had traded away Knight. It's a huge shame and I still miss him.

After some reflection, I think we're just salty that this isn't a slamdunk fleecing by Zito - that's it's a pretty fair deal on both sides. I think we've just been used to Zito pulling out these ridiculous deals that when he pays pretty much fair value for the market as it currently is, we're a little disappointed... Actually, I'm probably just speaking for myself here!

The main thing I'm worried about is actually the intangibles. I've been convinced by knowledgeable people on this board that Jones has the talent and should on paper be what we need. I'm just unsure about his drive and compete level: that "f*** you" snarl that got us through the last couple of years and that Montour had in spades. I fully admit I'm sentimental about players but I would really hate to see that character of the core - and therefore the team - diluted, and why I would feel so much better if we're able to resign Bennett and Ekblad. I confess I don't know enough about Jones so maybe that part of him would be unlocked in a better team.

 

[Howboutthempanthers]

I'm not that thinks trade deadline deals are the positive big impact transactions that they are perceived. But hopefully Jones can make an overall positive impact.
And also, we now have 5 out of the top 8 picks from the 2013 and 2014 drafts.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Well good luck to Jones in Florida. I expect he will do well now that he isn't the "Guy" and his contract won't always be first thing people talk about, etc

Panthers seem poised for another deep run this year

What should be my expectations for Knight going forward? I know his career thus far has had its ups and downs

I figure he and Soderblom will be a 1-2 duo for coming years in Chicago so Knight won't be forced into #1 job if not ready and seems comfortable as outsider with a 1A/1B arrangement in Florida so that may continue in Chicago until one of them runs away with job

 

[FinlandPanther]

Well good luck to Jones in Florida. I expect he will do well now that he isn't the "Guy" and his contract won't always be first thing people talk about, etc

Panthers seem poised for another deep run this year

What should be my expectations for Knight going forward? I know his career thus far has had its ups and downs

I figure he and Soderblom will be a 1-2 duo for coming years in Chicago so Knight won't be forced into #1 job if not ready and seems comfortable as outsider with a 1A/1B arrangement in Florida so that may continue in Chicago until one of them runs away with job

This might be my heart talking but I believe the kid will be a great #1. He was trending upward all year.

 

[IdleTraveller]

This might be my heart talking but I believe the kid will be a great #1. He was trending upward all year.

I agree. I really liked him - after a bit of a shaky start, has been pretty reliable and, at times, outplayed Bob. I'm very sorry to see him leave: a great kid, home-grown talent and a really inspiring success story on dealing with mental illness, in his case OCD. I wish him all the best - I think he could be a really great starter for the Hawks and an important piece of your core going forward, which he obviously wouldn't have been here in Florida.

 

[barkovcanfinnish]

Well good luck to Jones in Florida. I expect he will do well now that he isn't the "Guy" and his contract won't always be first thing people talk about, etc

Panthers seem poised for another deep run this year

What should be my expectations for Knight going forward? I know his career thus far has had its ups and downs

I figure he and Soderblom will be a 1-2 duo for coming years in Chicago so Knight won't be forced into #1 job if not ready and seems comfortable as outsider with a 1A/1B arrangement in Florida so that may continue in Chicago until one of them runs away with job

I think he’s suitable to take the reins. I think he still has another level to reach in his development and it might come in the next year or two which might work out for your rebuild pretty nicely

 

[ScottyMascotty]

our should've been 2x Conn Smythe winner is 36 years old! If healthy, he's good for another 4-5 years at least

that sounds very optimistic lol

 

[FinlandPanther]

I bet Zito already has Bob’s contingency plan targeted. Everything this guy does is calculated.

 

[Ekblast]

Was talking with my brother @CatscratchFever . He mentioned how we used to suck and stock up first round picks like candy. Remember those days? I do. Now look. We're winning, we're champs, and yall whining about late first round draft picks. This is NOT the panthers of old. This is what a championship and contending team does.

 

[Ekblast]

Even if they have kept 50% this trade sucks cause jones is a yandle level D. Way worse than balinskis.

You're delusional.

 

[barkovcanfinnish]

I’ll give Zito one thing, this guy has ice in his veins. I guess that’s what makes him one of the best GMs in the league. But it hurts my soul to lose Knight, I really liked him. I’ll be rooting for him in Chicago.

Do we let Ekblad go in free agency? Or Bennett? Or does Zito move someone at the draft to open up more cap space?

Sourdif is NHL ready imo, maybe he moves someone like Rodrigues or Lustorainen to free up more space?

 

[Dread Clawz]

Hate this trade. Despise it. There's a reason ~90% of the non-Cats/Hawks fans think we lost it, badly.

It hasn't been talked about much in this thread but the lost 2026 first rounder is going to hurt. That draft is really deep and we just mortgaged more of our future.

This is on Zito. Monty left for $7.14M vs we're on the hook for $7M with Jones. (I realize the term is longer) Giving away Knight last offseason, even attaching a low level pick to entice someone, would have netted us (no pun intended) the same basic result and allowed us to keep our pick and Brandon.

I know there's no guarantee someone would have taken Spencer but if so, that's on Zito as well. He's the one who extended #30 for a ridiculously overmarket amount. This trade is the culmination of several bad decisions. I don't expect any GM to be 100% right but this series of choices has hurt the franchise.

I hope I'm wrong in the long term.

From what I've seen, 90% of neutral fans think the Panthers won this, or both teams won.

 

[Dread Clawz]

One of Jones' big deficiencies is his skating. The Panthers' defensive system tends to limit how much defensemen are stressed in that regard, which you can see with Ekblad and Mikkola, IMO.

This is absolutely a case where I will simply trust Zito and see what happens. I think if Jones is willing to make an effort to buy into the team defensive concepts and play the way Paul Maurice wants him to play, this could work out very well for the Panthers. It's really up to him.

Actually Jones is a terrific skater.