Seth Jones joins defending Cup champion Panthers on busy day of NHL trades

Defencemen Seth Jones and Ryan Lindgren and forward Gustav Nyquist were on the move on Saturday as three Central Division teams got a jump on the NHL's looming trade deadline.

The Colorado Avalanche got the ball rolling with another splash by acquiring Lindgren and forward Jimmy Vesey in a trade with the New York Rangers. The Minnesota Wild answered hours later by acquiring pending free agent forward Gustav Nyquist.

And last-place Chicago shipped out another veteran, sending Jones to the defending champion Florida Panthers.

The NHL trade deadline is March 7 at 3 p.m. ET.

Florida got Jones and a 2026 fourth-round pick from Chicago for goaltender Spencer Knight and a conditional first-round pick in next year's draft. Chicago is also retaining 26 per cent of Jones's salary.

"It is definitely hard, but he is going to a good team and I think that's what he wants," Chicago's Lukas Reichel said after the team's 6-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. "I hope he does well there."

The 30-year-old Jones was the No. 4 overall pick by Nashville in the 2013 draft. He is under contact through 2030.

"Seth is a pro, great guy in the locker room so we wish him the best," Chicago interim coach Anders Sorenson said.

Florida is already deep at forward with Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell, Carter Verhaeghe and Gustav Forsling all locked up for at least three more seasons after this.

The Avalanche trade was their second big one of the season. They sent top-line forward Mikko Rantanen to the Hurricanes in late January, getting a younger player back in return in Martin Necas, and it's possible general Chris MacFarland is not done making moves before the deadline.

The Rangers acquired a second- and a fourth-round