Penguins’ Caleb Jones to miss eight weeks with lower-body injury

The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without defenseman Caleb Jones for up to eight weeks due to a lower-body injury, the hockey club announced on Saturday morning ahead of the team’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

He suffered the injury in the third period of Thursday night’s game against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, after getting into a battle with forward Brad Marchand in the 5-3 Penguins win.

The 28-year-old signed a two-year contract in Pittsburgh with an average annual value of $900,000 before the 2025-26 NHL season, and started the campaign with an assist in seven games, while averaging 17:10 of ice time per night. 

Defenseman Caleb Jones has been placed on Injured Reserve and is expected to miss approximately eight weeks with a lower-body injury. pic.twitter.com/xaCry5vt3z

— Penguins PR (@PenguinsPR) October 25, 2025

With his absence, the Penguins will have to look further down their defensive depth, as they hope to continue a strong start to the season. Heading into Saturday’s clash against Columbus, the Penguins sat third in the Metropolitan Division with six wins and two losses through their first eight games. 

Jones spent the 2024-25 season with the Los Angeles Kings organization, where he played just six NHL games, and spent most of the year with the AHL’s Ontario Reign, scoring two goals and 21 points in 44 minor league games. 

Originally a fourth-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2015, the 2025-26 season is Jones’ eighth NHL campaign, after previously playing for the Oilers, Kings, Chicago Blackhawks, and Colorado Avalanche.

Over his career, he has played 255 NHL games, scoring 14 goals and 56 points.  

Should Jones be out for the entire eight weeks, his return could see him miss up to 24 games, but potentially return before the NHL’s brief Christmas break for a Dec. 20 contest against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. 

After taking on the Blue Jackets on Saturday, the Penguins look ahead to a Monday night clash against the St. Louis Blues.