The Seth Jones trade begins looking brighter for the Florida Panther

The Chicago Blackhawks traded veteran defenseman Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers at the deadline for goaltender Spencer Knight.

That move was a long time coming for Jones, and the Hawks jumped on the opportunity to land a great young goaltender that could help the team for years to come.

Behind a struggling team, Knight still managed to get a .896 save percentage as well as 3.18 goals against average through 15 games.

As for the Panthers, they acquired a solid defenseman able to bring a lot of offense to their blue line. This season, the 30-year-old veteran scored 27 points in 42 games with the Blackhawks, and added nine points in 21 games after the trade, which has paid off for Florida so far.

In the playoffs, Jones has been playing an important role for the Panthers, with six points in 12 games and a +6 goal differential.

Last night, Jones was crucial for the Panthers in the seventh game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, scoring the first goal of the evening:

Jones was able to beat Sergei Bobrovsky twice, but the goal was instantly waved off by the referee, due to contact with Leafs' goalie Joseph Woll.

Here's how it went down:

In Florida, management must be happy to see him perform this way. He's among the defensemen with the most ice time for the Panthers night after night, and has made a difference for his team when it mattered the most.

Jones and the Panthers will be back in action tomorrow night against the Carolina Hurricanes, in what is likely to be their highest challenge of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.