George Richards, FHN Publisher
FORT LAUDERDALE — The last time Seth Jones played in a playoff game, it was in a near-empty building in Toronto.
The NHL decided to finish the 2019-20 season during a global pandemic, holding an expanded postseason in a so-called ‘bubble.’
Jones and the Columbus Blue Jackets knocked out the Toronto Maple Leafs in the qualifying round, then lost in 5 to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
No way Seth Jones figured the last time he would play a postseason game would be a 5-4 overtime loss to the Lightning in the middle of August.
Yet that is the way it worked out.
Until now.
Tuesday night, Jones returns to the Stanley Cup playoffs and, again, it will come against the Lightning.
Only it will not be played in front of an empty building.
Far from it.
“I am super-excited, super-excited for the opportunity to play alongside these guys, an experienced team that has been there, done that,” Jones said. “I just want to fit in, do the job. The last time I was in the playoffs came in the bubble — and that was a weird one, obviously. It was a while ago, and I think those past few years have gone by somewhat slow because of the situation.
“I am now in a situation where I can kind of get back to where I want to be, showcase the game I have and put it in a team system.’’
Things have changed quite a bit for Jones since the last time he played in the postseason.
Back in 2020, he was one of the faces of a Columbus franchise which seen a number of its biggest stars leave — including his new Florida teammate Sergei Bobrovsky.
Jones had reportedly told the Blue Jackets he would not sign a long-term deal after his contract expired in 2022, so, before the 2021 draft, they traded him to the Blackhawks in a blockbuster deal.
The Blackhawks were retooling on the fly, or at least that was the plan.
Aside from trading for Jones — they gave up young defenseman Adam Boqvist, the 12th pick in 2021, a second, and a conditional first — the Blackhawks also signed Marc-Andre Fleury and Tyler Johnson.
Things didn’t work out in Chicago. The Kyle Beach sex scandal came to light costing Stan Bowman his job atop the organization, with Joel Quenneville resigning as coach of the Panthers.
In 2021, it looked like the Blackhawks were trying to get back into contention.
By 2025, the rebuild continued — and Seth Jones grew tired of it.
COMING TO THE PANTHERS
He made it clear he wanted out, but with five years left on his contract and a no-trade clause, there weren’t many places to go.
Florida was a place he wanted to be, and the Panthers wanted him.
Jones was friends with players such as Bobrovsky, Aaron Ekblad, and Nate Schmidt who had told him Florida was a pretty good place to play.
“I knew a couple of guys here,” Jones said. “But I didn’t know a lot of them personally. I did know the style of play, and very few teams play playoff-style hockey during the season. I saw the coaching staff, how the organization was run, and I wanted to be a part of something like that.’’
On March 1, the Panthers and Blackhawks pulled off a deal in which Jones would come to Florida in exchange for Spencer Knight and a first-round pick in 2026.
Florida also got back a fourth-round pick with Chicago retaining $2.5 million of Jones’ annual cap hit.
The $13.125 million of retained salary is the most in NHL history.
“We are thrilled Seth is here,” said Bill Zito, who was with the Blue Jackets when they acquired Jones in a 2016 trade with Nashville.
“We have known each other for some time. [His] character, personality, how we think he’ll fit into things factored into the trade. I think he’ll be a great addition to our team.’’
The weight of playing out the string year after year lifted off of Jones upon his arrival in Florida.
Games finally meant something again.
“When you look at the standard in the NHL,’’ Jones said upon arriving, “this is it.’’
For the first time in his career, Seth Jones is playing for a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
The Blue Jackets had their moments, sure.
Sweeping the top-seeded Lightning out of the playoffs in the first round back in 2019 was certainly one of them.
It was the only time the Blue Jackets made it out of the first round.
Yet in Florida, there is a culture in place with the team having been to the Stanley Cup Final the past two seasons, the Panthers winning it all the last time they were in the playoffs.
Jones says he is excited to be a part of an organization where the expectations are high.
And to play in games that really, truly matter.
“I’m happy to get back into that atmosphere,’’ Jones said, “where every shift means something. Every play means something. And there is a finality to it.”