Jones grateful for Stanley Cup win with Panthers after ‘a lot of ups and downs’

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Seth Jones stood on the ice looking for his family. The Florida Panthers defenseman was taking in the moment but also trying to find the words to describe winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in his career.

“I don’t even know what to say,” Jones said after a 5-1 win against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday. “It’s just unbelievable, and I think it hasn’t quite hit me yet. In the next little bit here, it’ll really kick in. I don’t know.”

Jones had nine points (four goals, five assists) and was plus-11 in 23 Stanley Cup Playoff games for the Panthers, who won the Cup for the second consecutive season. The 30-year-old led Florida in time on ice per game and was 10th among all defensemen in the playoffs (25:30).

He was the third player to hoist the Stanley Cup on Tuesday after captain Aleksander Barkov and defenseman Nate Schmidt, who also won the Cup for the first time in his career.

“He added a lot; he was great,” Panthers forward Anton Lundell said of Jones. “He scored some huge goals, but at the same time he was great defensively as well. Just overall a great guy in the locker room.”

Jones was acquired by Florida, along with a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, from the Chicago Blackhawks for goalie Spencer Knight and a conditional first-round selection in 2026 on March 1. He was in his fourth season with the Blackhawks, with whom he signed an eight-year, $76 million contract ($9.5 million average annual value) on July 28, 2021.

While the Blackhawks got a goalie who could potentially accelerate their rebuild, the Panthers received a proven defenseman who adjusted to their system fairly quickly.

“This guy is a Norris Trophy candidate all day long, as long as we’re not only counting forwards who play defense, and I’m not being disrespectful to the guys who won it, but if it’s not just a point-production issue,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said, referring to the trophy awarded annually to the League’s top defenseman. “He’s special, that one.

“It was just the perfect environment for him to come in because the camera’s not on him all the time. I’m not being disrespectful to his other organizations; they’re just on a different curve. But those players, those elite guys on those teams, they carry a lot of pressure. He can walk in the room (here), partner is Niko Mikkola and we’re going to be OK here. And just play and enjoy it.”

He had only won a playoff series twice before, each with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2019 and 2020. This run with Florida was new territory for Jones, and something he’d wanted to experience for a long time.

“This is why you play. This is my 12th year, maybe, a lot of ups and downs and this is all worth it,” he said.

The Panthers were coming off the first Cup win in their history last June, and Jones said he knew right away they had a great chance to win again this season.

“The first phone calls that I had with everybody, the day after the trade or the day of the trade, it’s, ‘We want to win the Stanley Cup. That’s our only goal.’ When I got here, I see it in practice, I see the way these guys prepare every day and the work ethic,” Jones said. “I understand why these guys are so successful and I’m so happy to be a part of it.”

Jones said he’s also enjoying the bragging rights he now has with his father, former basketball star Popeye Jones, who won the NBA title as assistant coach of the Denver Nuggets in 2023.

“I do, because he won as a coach and I won as a player,” Seth said. “So, I 100 percent have a little bit of props.”

It was a hard season, a long season and ultimately a very successful one for Jones. He was looking for an opportunity to win a championship and played a big part in the Panthers doing so.

“It’s what you dream about every day as a kid. This is it,” Jones said. “You want to have a chance or even an opportunity to play for a Stanley Cup, and I just can’t praise this organization enough for the players here, the guys here. Not even on the ice, it was off the ice.

“Everyone loves each other, everyone wants the best for each other, and that’s the only way this thing works.”