The most interesting development about Tkachuk’s placement on LTIR is that it frees up $9.5 million in cap space, setting up the Panthers to make additions ahead of Friday’s trade deadline, exploiting a widely-known NHL salary-cap loophole.

Seth Jones impressed his Florida Panthers teammates in his debut Monday night, but it’s anyone’s guess when Matthew Tkachuk will be sharing the ice with his newest teammate.

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.