Seth Jones Finds Himself In Stanley Cup Final Following Trade From Blackhawks

On March 1st, 2025, the Chicago Blackhawks traded defenseman Seth Jones and a fourth-round pick (2026) to the Florida Panthers in exchange for a first-round pick (2026) and goaltender Spencer Knight. 

Chicago landed a "goalie of the future" type player and a first-round pick for a guy who no longer wanted to play for the Blackhawks. He didn't get what he signed up for when he first came to Chicago from the Columbus Blue Jackets, and he had no interest in continuing to play on a rebuilding team. 

Fast forward a few months, and Seth Jones got exactly what he wanted. With a win over the Carolina Panthers in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Final, the Florida Panthers are headed to the Stanley Cup Final. 

This is the third year in a row that the Panthers will represent the East in the championship series. It will also be the first time that Jones plays in the Final. 

With Florida, Jones is not expected to be the main guy as he was in Chicago. Along with former Blackhawk Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad, multiple options exist to play a high-level game on the blue line. 

Jones has done a great job in his role with Florida, and he has been put in a position to succeed. There are nights when he is the best defenseman on the team, and there are nights when some of the other stars there lead the way. 

In Game Seven of their second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Jones was the best player on either team. He scored, he made plays, he defended well, and his team earned a big victory to advance to the conference championship. The Panthers are thrilled that they made this trade. 

On the losing side of the Eastern Conference Finals was Taylor Hall. The Blackhawks also traded Hall ahead of the deadline, sending him to the Hurricanes in the deal that saw them facilitate a Mikko Rantanen trade. 

Hall had a good postseason but was lackluster in their final series. He didn't score or have any assists in five games, which was a detriment to Carolina's offense. It looked like he was fighting something as he whiffed on a couple of one-timers, couldn't make the passes we are used to seeing him make, and his skating wasn't where it has been since going to the Hurricanes. 

Seth Jones is in the Stanley Cup Final, which is what he ultimately wanted, but the Blackhawks are going to be fine. Spencer Knight was mostly brilliant in his time with Chicago and looks like someone who could be on his way to stardom. Everybody wins.