Dealing with a lower-body injury, Tkachuk has been ailing since the second game of the 4 Nations Face-Off when he missed the final 12:36 of a 3-1 win for Team USA over Canada. After having to sit out the final game of the round robin, Tkachuk took the ice for just 6:47 in a 3-2 overtime loss to Canada in the championship game on Feb. 20.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers confirmed Monday, a few hours before Jones’ debut with the team, that Tkachuk is on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury. That means Tkachuk won’t be back for a few weeks — and possibly not until the postseason.

You couldn’t ask for a better first opponent. Just a few days after being acquired in a blockbuster deal, defenseman Seth Jones will make his debut with the Florida Panthers (37-21-3) when they host t

Panthers GM Bill Zito fires back at the doubters after the Seth Jones trade that brought the defenseman in from the Blackhawks.

A day after pulling off the deal that brought Jones in from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for goaltender Spencer Knight, Panthers general manager and hockey operations president Bill Zito said the Stanley Cup champions took their time before finally executing the move and agreeing to bring on Jones — who has five years left on a big-money contract.