Defenseman Seth Jones wasn’t exactly welcomed back Sunday to the United Center, where he played his first game since the Blackhawks traded him to the Panthers on March 1, 2025. There was no video tribute and no cheers for Jones, who badly wanted out of Chicago when the going got rough.
The deal has worked out for both sides. The Panthers got a quality player, and the Hawks got a quality goalie in Spencer Knight, who has stabilized the position. The Hawks also got a first-round draft pick, one of three they have in 2027.
Former Hawks general manager Stan Bowman had big plans for Jones after acquiring him in a draft-day blockbuster in 2021 and signing him to an eight-year, $76 million contract. Jones was supposed to take over for Duncan Keith as the Hawks’ top defenseman. But almost halfway through the contract, his frustration with all the losing became too much.
Still, Jones said he has ‘‘nothing but love’’ for the organization.
‘‘Had an experience here for four years,’’ said Jones, who missed the Panthers’ visit to Chicago last season because of a broken collarbone. ‘‘I like where I’m at now, but I wish this organization nothing but the best.
‘‘It was a good trade for both sides. I’m sure they’ll be very successful in the future when all these picks grow up and get more experience. It was awesome to be back for the first time.’’
Jones assisted on the Panthers’ second goal, a power-play goal, giving him 11 assists and 12 points for the season, both second on the team. He also logged 24 minutes, 55 seconds of ice time, more than anyone in the game, and put a team-high-tying four shots on goal.
On the goal, which gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead in the first period, Jones skated into the high slot with the puck and shot it toward the net. It probably would have gone wide, but it deflected in off Matthew Tkachuk.
‘‘I had so much time, I was kind of shocked,’’ Jones said. ‘‘I was just trying to get it in there. Sometimes you need those.’’
Jones wasn’t the only former Hawks defenseman on the ice. Gustav Forsling, who played for the team in 2016-19, has turned into a shutdown defenseman for the Panthers, helping them to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2024 and 2025.
But the Hawks weren’t the only ones who gave up on Forsling. The Canucks drafted him in 2014 and traded him to the Hawks the next year. The Hawks traded him to the Hurricanes, who put him on waivers in 2021. That’s when the Panthers claimed him.
‘‘Gustav was a late developer,’’ Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. ‘‘He just had to put some size on his frame, and he became so focused on his fitness and his size. He worked himself into being an NHLer. We’re lucky on that one, getting a player like that.’’
Forsling played 23:12, including a team-high 6:23 short-handed. He helped the Panthers kill all seven Hawks power plays.
Having played one of the toughest schedules in the league to start the season, the Hawks finally will face an opponent in their weight class Tuesday, when the Kings come to town. Both teams have six points. It will be the second of back-to-back games for the Kings, who visit the Rangers on Monday.
• Before the game, the Hawks honored defenseman Ian Cole for playing in 1,000 career games, a milestone he reached Friday. In 17 NHL seasons, he has 233 points (38 goals) and won Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 2016 and ’17.
