It’s been roughly 24 hours since the trade that sent Spencer Knight and a 2026 1st round pick to Chicago, in exchange for Set Jones and a 2026 4th round pick.
Off the bat, I felt Chicago won this trade. A day later and I still feel the same way.
Here’s my thoughts…
On Knight
Chicago is in the midsts of a rebuild. Their current goaltending platoon of Petr Mrazek and Arvid Soderblom has been one of the few bright spots in a terrible season - maybe the only bright spot, honestly.
Soderblom is only 26. The Hawks gain another young goalie in Spencer Knight, 23. Assuming they move Mrazek for whatever they can get, Soderblom and Knight will be the major pieces in the blue paint and grow with this rebuilding Hawks team.
I was fairly critical of Knight during his tenure in Florida. I was skeptical of his ability to become the guy they thought he would be when they drafted him. I think that feeling was justified given his resume while in a Cats sweater (until this year).
When Knight returned from his time in the PAP, and got his legs under him, he took off. He is 12-8-1 so far this season, with a major improvement to his mental toughness/confidence — the weakest area of his game, in my opinion.
I foresee some really healthy goalie competition between him and Soderblom, with both youngsters pushing each other to be their best.
On Jones
The $9.5 x 10 deal the Hawks signed Jones to five years ago was a serious head-scratcher. At the time, it was clear Chicago wasn’t going anywhere. In fact, it was obvious they were trending downwards.
When the initial pop wore off, the slog of Chicago’s last five seasons seems to have worn Jones down. Or, maybe, Jones isn’t the player fans thought he was. Or…it’s a combo of both.
It’s hard to say, but I know he wasn’t exactly a game changer/breaker while with the Hawks…
Chicago had a tall task moving him. His bloated contract, current play, and venting to the media as of late, all came together to make it a real challenge for Kyle Davidson. So, getting a top future goalie and a first rounder — even while having to eat some contract — is pretty darn good.
This move most likely signals the end of Aaron Ekblad’s run with the Panthers. We have all been critical of #5 at times. While Injuries have certainly taken their toll, and he’s lost a step, Ekblad still has a play-maker knack from the backend (in my opinion), which pairs well with a defensive-minded blueliner like Forsling.
The Panthers will probably get the same type of play from Jones, who is less injury prone than Ekblad. I’m not crazy about Jones’ defensive game, though. He seems like more concerned about offense. I know some Hawks fans who had seen enough of his shots from the point bouncing off defenders shin pads, and/or rushing the puck and getting caught too low in the offensive zone…
What Next?
Despite the above, I’m always excited to see what new Cats can do when they come to a Florida. While I’m not a huge fan of his game, I’m going to give Jones a chance. He could be a guy who benefits from a change of scenery and a talented new cast around him.
Time will tell…until then, the Panthers play the rival Lightning tonight and I expect Jones to be in the lineup. What better opportunity to make an impression with your new team then to come out hot against the in-state enemy?
???
With Tkachuk headed to LTIR (damn you 4 Nations Face-off!), the Panthers have acquired a chunk of cap space:
Per
Yahoo! Sports:
“
According to PuckPedia, Tkachuk is actually going on LTIR, which means he must miss at least 10 games and 24 days, but also removes his $9.5 million cap hit off the books.
If Tkachuk does not return until the postseason, where the salary cap isn’t an issue anymore, Florida can use their newfound, albeit temporary cap space and load up for a playoffs.
That gives the Panthers a ton of financial flexibility to work at with at the NHL Trade Deadline, as they now have $8.7 million in cap space to work with, per PuckPedia.
The Trade Deadline is coming up on Friday.
Will they search for a replacement for Knight? Perhaps add some scoring or muscle to their forward ranks?
For now, the Panthers called up goalie Chris Driedger from AHL Charlotte to serve as Bobrovsky’s backup.
Whoever Florida decides to roll with as their backup goalie, that person will be called upon fairly often down the stretch of the regular season.
The Panthers have 21 games remaining on their schedule, including five sets of back-to-back games that all come during the final 30 days of the season.
It’s going to be busy for the Cats.”
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I wonder if Jones goes back to his old #3 and honors Florida’s original tough guy, Paul Laus?
Go Panthers!
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