The Florida Panthers lost the Winter Classic 5-1 to the New York Rangers. In that game, Panthers defenseman Seth Jones left the game with an upper-body injury. Just days after being named to Team USA for the upcoming Olympics, Jones has hit the shelf. Paul Maurice provided an update on the defenseman.
“Jones is week to week, per Maurice. They expect him back before the Olympic break,” Jameson Olive of FloridaPanthers.com reported.
Jones came to the Panthers from the Chicago Blackhawks at the 2025 trade deadline. They sent young goalie Spencer Knight and a first-round pick to Chicago, which is a high price to pay for a defenseman who had struggled. But moving from a bottom-dweller in the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup Champions did wonders for Jones' game.
Jones is far from the only Panthers player to be injured as they open up 2026. Matthew Tkachuk is working his way back, but has not played yet this season. And captain Aleksander Barkov has not played since suffering an ACL injury in training camp. Jones now leaves a hole in their second pair on their blue line.
But the good news for the Panthers and Team USA is that the injury seems to be short-term.
Where would USA turn if Panthers' Seth Jones is unavailable?
Team USA surprised many by taking Jones over Rangers defenseman Adam Fox. While the 4 Nations Face-Off was not great for Fox, he has been much better this year on a struggling Rangers team. But USA GM Bill Guerin selected Jones and Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanfin over Fox.
If Jones cannot go to the Olympics because of this injury, Fox would be the easy choice. But after making the difficult choice to leave him off the original roster, would Guerin go somewhere else with the next defender? If he did, Washington Capitals defender Jon Carlson would be another strong choice.
The Panthers need Jones back just to make the playoffs in their three-peat quest. They are one point out of the final playoff spot heading into Monday's action, but they do have a game in hand over the Capitals. This has not been a great regular season for the Panthers so far, but they have the pieces to go on a run.
Without Jones, Barkov, and Tkachuk, it could be a rough go for the two-time defending champs. They start a six-game road trip against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
