Right before Saturday night's win over the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center, the Chicago Blackhawks sent Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers in a massive trade. 

In return, they are getting a stud young goalie in Spencer Knight and a conditional first-round pick. They are only retaining 25% of Seth Jones' contract too which makes this deal a clear win for the Hawks. 

It could also be a good deal for Florida. As the defending Stanley Cup champions, they can afford to take this risk and they needed a right-shot defenseman to replace Brandon Montour who they lost to free agency last summer (Seattle Kraken). 

There is the human side of things that comes with trades like this though. Players in the Chicago Blackhawks locker room are going to have their thoughts on the deal and what it means for them. 

"It's tough because he was a good leader for me." Lukas Reichel said after the game. "Whatever I had, I can tell him and ask him questions. It's definitely hard. But he's going to a good team, and I think that's what he wants. I hope he does well there."

Lukas Reichel drew into the lineup after a few days of being scratched and played very well in his return. He is a young guy who has needed some veteran help and it sounds like Jones has provided that for him. 

During the first intermission of their win over the Ducks, Connor Murphy was asked about the deal and he sounded even more down on losing his friend. 

"The reality of not having a guy around, in the room, at dinners, or at home with you is hard." Murphy said. "He was such a great teammate & star player for us & led the way for us. It's hard losing teammates. Hard time of the year."

Murphy was with Jones through some incredibly tough years in Chicago. The team was mostly terrible during their tenure but they got through it together. 

Another defenseman who spoke on Jones after the trade is Alec Martinez. They weren't teammates for very long so they might not be as tight but you certainly form a bond with all of the guys in the locker room (most of the time). 

 "Obviously, it's disappointing. I've come to get to know him." Martinez said postgame. "Really good guy. You obviously wish him the best."

Martinez also recognizes that the situation is different for Jones than it is for him or other players on the team who haven't been there as long. 

"He said how he felt. I think there's probably a lot of frustration built up over time. I can't really speak to that. I haven't been here as long as he has." 

Seth Jones and his comments were heard by his now-former team. Although they all wish him well, as they should, they understand that this is a business and the Blackhawks have a future to build for. They should only be worrying about players and staff who care about the betterment of the team long term. That wasn't Jones anymore. 

Chicago is 1-0 in the post-Jones era so we'll see how they continue now they are coming home for three straight games at United Center. 

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