Paul Maurice's latest update on Seth Jones

Paul Maurice says Jones is week to week, and the club expects him back before the Olympic break. Maurice delivered that update Monday, which is about as clear as hockey injuries ever get.

Jones left the Winter Classic early after a deflected shot caught him up high, with Niko Mikkola in the middle of the bounce. He was playing his 900th NHL game, so the exit felt especially cruel in a showcase spot.

Florida leans on Jones to start breakouts clean, walk the blue line on the power play, and calm chaotic shifts. Without him, exits get messier, and opponents can pin the Panthers with a heavier forecheck.

As a fan watching that puck ride up, my stomach dropped because Jones has been their calm connector. He has 24 points in 40 games, and those six goals matter when your blue line needs offense.

The week-to-week tag suggests Florida will manage risk, shorten shifts, and live with more chips behind the defense. When the middle is crowded, the first pass has to be simple, or the forecheck eats you.

It also puts extra strain on Sergei Bobrovsky, because odd-man rushes start with failed clears and lost wall battles. Florida can survive one bad pinch, but it cannot survive three per period.

Jones' puck-moving is what lets the Panthers attack in layers, with the weakside winger flying once the defense wins the first touch. If that outlet disappears, the forwards curl lower, and the neutral-zone counterpunch loses speed.

Jones, 31, was the fourth pick in the 2013 draft by the Nashville Predators, and he has always carried big-matchup expectations. His current deal carries a $9.5 million cap hit, a loud reminder of how rare right-shot workhorses are.

The Olympic angle is real too, because Team USA just tapped him for Milano Cortina, and the Panthers want him healthy more than fast. If he returns before the Olympic break, Florida can reunite its normal pairings and stop playing survival hockey.

Until then, every night feels like a test of nerves, and the next milestone is simply seeing Seth Jones back on the ice.