The Panthers brace for a crucial boost as their star defenseman nears a return.
The Florida Panthers are on the brink of bringing one of their key defensemen back into the lineup.
Seth Jones has been practicing with his teammates for several weeks, slowly ramping up the intensity and physicality in anticipation of coming off Long Term Injured Reserve.
Jones was injured during the Winter Classic back on Jan. 2, when a deflected shot caught him in the collarbone, causing a fracture.
Now, 10 weeks later, Jones is finally ready to get back in the game.
“We expect (him) to be available on this trip,” Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said following Saturday’s practice at the Baptist Health IcePlex. “God, he went through it, and it took a long time to heal. There was nothing he could do, it just had to heal.”
The return of Jones to the lineup will be more than welcomed by Florida.
He’d racked up six goals and 24 points through his 40 games this season but he was also providing a steady level of defensive play on the Cats’ blueline, averaging nearly 25 minutes per night over the month leading up to his injury.
It’s also worth noting that when Jones was injured, Florida was 21-16-3 and one point back of the second Wild Card spot.
They’ve gone 12-13-0 since, and that includes Florida’s current three-game winning streak, dropping them to nine points back of that same Wild Card spot with 17 games to go.
The Panthers departed South Florida on Saturday afternoon for a four-game road trip that beings on Sunday in Seattle.
They’ll also visit Vancouver on Tuesday before ending the trip with a back-to-back in Edmonton and Calgary on Thursday and Friday.
We’ll see how Maurice works Jones back into the fold, because once he’s cleared, he’ll likely go right back to logging big minutes.
“He’ll hopefully get the green light today, before he goes,” Maurice said. “And then we’ll get him pushed real hard to see if we can make sure that he’s strong and there’s no pain.”
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Photo caption: Dec 20, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones (3) moves the puck against the St. Louis Blues during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)