The Florida Panthers got a crushing blow on Friday night. The 5-1 shellacking at the hands of the New York Rangers in the Winter Classic wasn’t enough. To add injury to insult, the Cats lost star defenseman Seth Jones towards the end of the first period.
Jones went down after taking a shot off the left shoulder. He left the ice and did not return. The injury may have seemed innocuous enough, but it warranted closer examination from the Panthers’ medical team. Jones’ reaction following Rangers forward Alexis Lafreniere’s shot seemed to suggest he was fine.
However, one medical expert, Dr. Harjas Grewal, believes there are two paths. Here’s what the renowned physician had to say about the Panthers blueliner’s injury:
As such, there doesn’t seem to be a middle ground. The best-case scenario is just a painful bruise that will take days to heal. In the worst of cases, Jones could have a serious injury and potentially miss significant time, including the playoffs.
A fractured collarbone could mean a couple of months’ worth of time missed. Depending on the severity, it might take even longer.
If it’s just a bruise, well, that could be just fine for everyone involved. The injury will go down as one of those plays in which there was nothing the Panthers’ D-man could do.
Panthers Coach Gives Somewhat Encouraging Update
Following the game, Panthers coach Paul Maurice gave a relatively upbeat update. NHL.com quoted the two-time Stanley Cup champion bench boss, stating that the injury:
“…doesn’t look terrible right now.”
While that isn’t exactly the most optimistic response, it doesn’t precisely sound dire. Maurice added that Jones will undergo further evaluation. There is no word yet regarding the situation. Nevertheless, the hope is that the prognosis will be an encouraging one.
The Panthers acquired Jones at last year’s trade deadline from the Chicago Blackhawks. The deal provided the Panthers with another capable blueliner to lead them to back-to-back championships.
Jones’ standout performance in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs for the Panthers helped cement his candidacy for the US Olympic team this year. As such, the US Olympic squad will likely be holding its breath until a definitive answer emerges regarding Jones’ injury.
Jones Injury Could Open Door for Adam Fox
One of the most notable snubs from Team USA’s Olympic roster was New York Rangers blueliner Adam Fox. The prevailing thought is that the US management team picked the Panthers’ defenseman over Fox.
Regardless of whether that’s true or not, Jones’ injury could open the door for Fox to return to Team USA’s lineup. According to sources, US coach Mike Sullivan and his staff were adamant about including Fox. The decision ultimately came down to GM Bill Guerin, who picked the Panthers’ veteran blueliner.
If Jones can’t go to Milano-Cortina next month, Guerin will need to name a replacement for Jones. That replacement could be Fox. Although there’s no guarantee it will be the former Norris Trophy winner, it’s interesting to see the timing of this entire unfortunate situation.
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