FORT LAUDERDALE — Seth Jones said being picked to play for Team USA at the upcoming Winter Olympics was “definitely awesome’’ and a “real privilege.’’
Only an injury sustained off a deflected puck early in the Winter Classic on Jan. 2 will prevent the Florida Panthers defenseman from doing so.
On Wednesday, Team USA announced that Jones will be unable to play in the Olympics due to his suspected collarbone injury.
Defenseman Jackson LaCombe, a native of Eden Prairie, Minn. who plays for the Anaheim Ducks will replace Jones on the roster.
Wednesday, Florida coach Paul Maurice said that Jones will likely miss a month of action following his injury.
By that timeline, Jones would be able to play a few games for the Panthers before the Olympics.
Perhaps Florida’s publicly stated timeline is a little on the optimistic side.
The Panthers did place Jones on LTIR to become cap compliant and allow Matthew Tkachuk — who is going to play for Team USA at the Olympics — to be activated on Monday.
Jones would be eligible to come off LTIR for Florida’s game against the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday.
That will not happen.
“There was originally a week-to-week idea,” Maurice said. “Then it was 2-4 [weeks] or whatever, but it will be the full extent of that.”
Team USA opens play in the Olympic tournament on Feb. 12 in Milan, Italy, against Latvia — which features Florida Panthers Uvis Balinskis and Sandis Vilmanis.
The game is set for 3:10 p.m. ET on USA Network and Peacock.
ON DECK: GAME 49
FLORIDA PANTHERS AT WINNIPEG JETS
