Seth Jones status shifts, Florida Panthers provide fresh update

George Richards reported Saturday that, per the NHL media site, Florida moved Seth Jones to injured reserve. That's a roster move that usually signals the team expects the absence to stretch a bit, not just a one-night scratch.

Jones is a huge chunk of Florida's minutes, so this isn't housekeeping. He leads Panthers defensemen with 24 points in 40 games, and he's averaging 23:29 a night, basically living on the first pair and first power-play look.

The contract angle matters too, because the Panthers built this roster tight to the cap. Jones carries a $9.5 million cap hit, with Chicago retaining $2.5 million, so Florida is effectively carrying him at $7 million while he's in the mix.

it feels like every time Florida finds rhythm, a top piece gets pulled out of the machine. The Panthers can still defend, but they lose that clean first pass that starts their best exits.

In the short term, Tobias Bjornfot is the obvious «body in the suit» option, and he's already been recalled from AHL Charlotte. Florida also dressed Donovan Sebrango recently, and that's the kind of simple call Maurice leans on when the schedule gets nasty.

Tactically, it likely means shorter, safer breakouts and fewer aggressive pinches from the second pair. Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling can eat the hard matchups, but someone still has to handle those late defensive-zone faceoffs and the first PK clear.

On the Olympics side, Jones being on IR doesn't automatically kill anything, but it does tighten the runway. He's 31, a former fourth overall pick by the Nashville Predators in 2013, and he was named to Team USA's Milano Cortina roster as the NHL returns to Olympic play in February.

If Jones is back to full contact well before the February break, he's fine. If the «week-to-week» label lingers, the conversation shifts fast for both Florida's playoff push and the U.S. blue line.

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