The Florida Panthers’ first move ahead of the NHL’s 3 p.m. Friday trade deadline saw them send backup goaltender Spencer Knight to the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday for All-Star defenseman Seth Jones. Four days later, the Panthers have a new goaltender in the fold.

By STEPHEN WHYNO The defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers continue to be active in the leadup to the NHL trade deadline. The Panthers acquired goaltender Vitek Vanecek on Wednesday from

Spencer Knight got right to work with the Chicago Blackhawks. Knight was slated to start Monday night against the Los Angeles Kings in the goaltender's first game since he was acquired in a trade with the Florida Panthers on Saturday night.

Spencer Knight spent the majority of his time off during the NHL’s break for the 4 Nations Face-Off back home in Connecticut. He took the week-and-a-half respite to catch up with family and friends, along with the occasional workout. Most importantly to Knight, though, his time at the rink was minimal.

The trade came a day after Vanecek was held off San Jose's lineup for trade-related reasons when he was scheduled to make a start against the Buffalo Sabres. Alexander Georgiev was forced to make starts on back-to-back knights and helped San Jose defeat Buffalo 6-2.

The Florida Panthers made a massive trade on Saturday night, but now they’ve got to make a big decision regarding their goaltending.

A day after pulling off the deal that brought Jones in from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for goaltender Spencer Knight, Panthers general manager and hockey operations president Bill Zito said the Stanley Cup champions took their time before finally executing the move and agreeing to bring on Jones — who has five years left on a big-money contract.

The Athletic has live coverage of the 2025 NHL trade deadline. Seth Jones wanted out, and it didn’t take long for the Blackhawks to grant his wish. Chicago dealt the veteran defenseman to the Florida Panthers on Saturday night in exchange for a conditional 2026 first-round pick and goaltender Spencer Knights.

The Florida Panthers entered March fighting for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. Currently, the defending Stanley Cup Champions are tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs for first in said division with a record of 38-21-3 and 79 points through 62 games.