Joining the Florida Panthers' ‘revitalized' Seth Jones. The next goal: Win a Stanley Cup

Miami Herald

15 hours ago

Seth Jones felt the emotions rush through him Wednesday as he took the ice for pregame introductions ahead of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers.
It's a moment he was waiting for his whole career.
The nerves were already there. And then he saw the Stanley Cup rolled onto the ice at Edmonton's Rogers Place.
That's when it hit him that this is actually happening.
'That's a special moment,' Jones said. 'I'm just trying to take it all in. Obviously the energy in the building was fantastic. Speaking to the guys about last year, it was one of the loudest buildings they played in last year. Very intense, everything leading up to it.'
And then the puck dropped, and the focus was solely back to hockey.
'Really trying to focus on what you can do each shift for the game, kind of visualize and try to keep your heart rate down, really, before the game starts,' Jones said. 'Once that first shift happens, though, you kind of get settled in and just trying to play my game and make plays out there.'
Jones has been making big plays for the Panthers since he joined the team in March after being acquired via trade from the Chicago Blackhawks for goaltender Spencer Knight and a swap of draft picks (Florida getting Chicago's fourth-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft; Chicago getting a conditional 2026 first-round pick from Florida). The defenseman, a five-time All-Star in his 12th NHL season, is a big reason the Panthers are back in the Stanley Cup Final for a third consecutive year. He fortified their back end, is running the top power play and has shown a knack for making big plays at big times.
The change of scenery from a Chicago team deep in the rebuilding stage to a perennial contender in Florida has paid dividends. Seeing the success up close has been a game-changer. Knowing he has a chance to be a contributor to that perennial contender for years to come — Jones is under contract through the 2029-30 season — only helps.
'Definitely revitalized,' Jones said. 'Winning cures all at the end of the day. This team just understands how to win. They understand their system, they understand what they need to do to be successful. It's not going to be perfect; it never is, but we want to give ourselves a chance to win every night and I think we understand how to do that.'
It's why Jones and the Panthers are still confident heading into Game 2 against the Oilers despite dropping Game 1 4-3 in overtime. Florida has been in this position before. It has trailed in a series. But there's an understanding that if Florida can play to its strengths — being aggressive on the forecheck, suffocating the opponent in the neutral zone, executing when chances come to them in the offensive zone — that they can flip the series back in their favor.
They did that in spurts on Wednesday — particularly in the second period — but got away from it down the stretch.
'I thought we did a lot of good things,' Jones said. 'We went through some video and see the things we can do better through the neutral zone. Maybe a little bit more offensive zone time, some things we look at, but they played a good game. They were solid defensively. They blocked a lot of shots. And we kind of knew that coming in there's not a lot of space out there, not a lot of plays to be made, really. So when we do get those opportunities, try to hold on to the puck and capitalize.'
Jones has capitalized this postseason. He has three goals and seven points while being a plus-10 overall through 18 postseason games entering Game 2. He's averaging a team-high 25:16 of ice time per game while contributing both on the power play and the penalty kill in addition to pairing with Niko Mikkola on defense at five-on-five.
'He's been unreal,' Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling said. 'He's so good moving the puck and he's a good skater. Obviously on our power play he's a big key, but defensively he's good. He's got a big frame and good stick. He's been awesome for us.'
It took some time to get acclimated to the Panthers' system, especially coming in toward the end of the season when practice time was minimal. A lot of times early on — and even sometimes still — he relied on instinct and muscle memory to make plays and get in the right position.
'Game reps always help, of course, and instinct,' Jones said earlier this season. 'A lot of the situations I've seen them 1,000 times, hundreds of thousands of times probably at this point. But I think it's just about knowing where everyone's at and what's expected of you on the ice so everyone can read off you.'
The Panthers did their part to get Jones acclimated. Teammates showed him the way. Panthers coach Paul Maurice assured him he didn't have to do too much to fit in — just play his game, keep it simple.
He fit in from the start and is ready to keep the momentum going.
'The first day I came in, talking to Paul and walking around the room on a practice day, you could feel something was different,' he said. 'Everyone understands their task every day, has a goal every day and everyone's really working toward something bigger than just the regular season or an individual game or a goal or a point or something like that. Being in the Final the last two years, they understood what it took to get back here and what it takes to win. Just walking around, it's just special being in that room and being in that environment.'