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.

Matthew Tkachuk hasn’t played since sustaining what is believed to be a groin injury during the 4 Nations Face-Off.