One of the newest members of the Florida Panthers just had his day with the Stanley Cup.
Defenseman Seth Jones was acquired by Florida a few days ahead of the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, with goaltender Spencer Knight and a first-round pick heading back to the Chicago Blackhawks in the exchange.
Jones was not the typical deadline add, though.
He arrived with plenty of term on his contract, which doesn’t expire until the summer of 2030, but part of the trade was Chicago retaining 26% of Jones’ salary, so Jones’ annual cap hit for Florida is $7 million (his full AAV is $9.5 million).
Funnily enough, Jones has played more playoff games with the Panthers than regular season games.
He finished the regular season with two goals and nine points to go along with four penalty minutes and a minus-nine on-ice rating in 21 outings while working hard to acclimate himself to Florida’s systems.
When the playoffs rolled around, Jones scored four goals and added five helpers in 23 postseason contests, but his plus-minus shot up to a plus-11, a strong indicator of how much he was adjusting to Florida’s style of playing the game.
On Wednesday, the 30-year-old Texas native brought the Stanley Cup back to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where Jones spent much of his upbringing.
“My family's here, this is where I call home in the summertime when I'm not in Florida,” Jones said. “I skate here; I do a lot of things around this area. This was definitely a place I wanted to come back to.”
On a day that included plans to take the Stanley Cup golfing and to host an intimate party with close friends and family, Jones’ first stop with the historic trophy was at the Children’s Health StarCenter, where he enjoyed playing youth hockey and being a part of the program during some very important years in his growth as a player.
“I played almost five years here, and it was in a really prime spot in my development, about 10 years old to 15 years old,” he said. “Those are some big years when you talk about youth hockey.”
Video of Jones' visit can be seen in the video below:
Dozens of young hockey players and their families packed the rink for a chance to see Jones and catch a glimpse of the Stanley Cup.
During Wednesday’s visit, Jones signed autographs and took photos with the youngsters who came out, hoping to inspire some of the next generation of hockey players to reach for the stars, just as he did.
“I wanted to come in and give back to the kids here at the youth hockey program,” Jones said. “I think growing up, when I moved here to Texas, I spent a lot of time here for a lot of different coaches, a lot of different teams, and without the development of Texas youth hockey and the growth that we've seen over the last 10-15, years, I know I wouldn't be where I'm standing today.”
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Photo caption: Seth Jones carries the Stanley Cup through the Children's Health Star Center while surrounded by youth hockey players. (Florida Panthers)