At the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito pulled off a few shrewd moves to improve the team's chances of repeating as Stanley Cup champions. Other than a few minor deals to get Nico Sturm and Vitek Vanacek from the Sharks, as well as Kaapo Kahkonen from the Jets, Zito completed some stunning deals.
The first occurred on March 1, when Florida bolstered their blueline by acquiring Seth Jones from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Initially, the trade was questioned by some fans of the team and the media surrounding the NHL. It made sense in the short term, but giving away a future franchise goalie in Spencer Knight raised numerous questions. Jones is currently 30 years of age, and this 2024-25 season is just the third year of an eight-year contract he signed with Chicago before the start of the 2022-23 season.
The deal carries an AAV of $9.5 million per year. The Blackhawks agreed to take some of the salary in the deal. However, it still is a heavy price tag for a defenseman who's in his early 30s. There is still a lot left in the tank for him, but for how long? Giving away Spencer Knight is also a huge risk, considering how he was their top goalie to take the reins from Sergei Bobrovsky, who is currently 36 years old.
The second deal, completed on March 7 with an Atlantic Division rival, was even more shocking.
Yes! Zito completed a deal with the heavily loathed Boston Bruins to send the 'rat man' himself to the only franchise in the league that's synonymous with the actual rodent creature. Brad Marchand, one of the most notorious and disliked players in the league, was being forced to do something that no one saw coming: go from Bruins black and gold to Panthers red and navy.
Needless to say, the entire hockey world was buzzing over this trade, and nobody could believe it. The Bruins traded one of their longtime remaining franchise faces to the team that brutally ended their season over the last two years.
This deal was less worried about from the minds of Florida fans, as Zito only gave up a second-round draft pick that turned into a first-round pick. Some partisans might still be a bit stressed that the pick became a first-rounder, but the truth of the matter is that contending teams don't need those picks. They will always be at the bottom portion of the round.
You can always trade those away for players that can keep your championship window open. It was a bold deadline by the former Columbus Blue Jackets assistant general manager. Bringing in a former rival and giving away the future starting goalie for a 30-year-old defenseman? How was this going to work? Well, up to this point, the duo has been splendid additions to the club and have helped in big ways.
Both have had huge moments in this year's postseason run, as the Panthers continue their epic quest to prove they are the NHL's upcoming dynasty. First, beginning with Jones, he has stabilized the top-4 on the backend. Throughout the year, Paul Maurice had three players set on those first two pairings. The top pairing has been Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad, as it should be.
One spot in the middle pairing has mostly been taken up by Nate Schmidt, as he's been one of the distributors on the power-play throughout the season. However, there was always a flip between Dmitry Kulikov and Niko Mikkola. Of course, versatility and flexibility are always needed to make a deep run. However, that last piece was missing, and Jones has been able to fill that role well.
He's had some memorable moments for the Panthers during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. As of May 24, Florida has played 14 games in the postseason as the Cats are getting ready to compete in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final. In that span, Jones has racked up six points(3 goals, 3 assists).
He picked up the assist on Sam Bennett's empty-net goal to clinch the 2-0 shutout of Tampa Bay in Game 2 of the first round. Four nights later, he did something more spectacular in Game 4. To add context and refresh your mind, Florida won the first two games in Tampa but dropped Game 3 at home and faced the possibility of the series being tied.
The Lightning held a 2-1 lead late in the third period. Aaron Ekblad tied the game, and 11 seconds later, the 6-foot-4 specimen gave the Cats the lead, thanks to a deflection, and ultimately the win to take a 3-1 series advantage. Florida would close the series in the next game.
In the second round, Jones scored a goal in the opening game against Toronto that resulted in a 5-4 loss. As you know, the team would drop the next contest before winning three straight to put the Maple Leafs on the brink of elimination. The Cats laid an egg and had to play Game 7. After a scoreless first period, 'Jonesy' began a middle frame avalanche that ultimately won the Panthers the series.
He also got the secondary assist on the goal scored by Jonah Gadjovich later in the period. He created the turnover, entered the offensive zone, and dished a trailing pass to A.J. Greer, and everything else fell into place.
As far as Marchand is concerned, he's had his fair share of playoff highlights as well. The 37-year-old winger has primarily been a glue guy on hockey's most underrated line. He's fit in perfectly with Eetu Luostarinen and Anton Lundell. Watching them, it looks as if the trio has been playing together for 10 years.
In the opening round, 'The Little Ball Of Hate' made an impact, assisting on four goals, including two in the clinching Game 5. In the early portion of the Maple Leafs' matchup in round two, Marchand started scoring. After adding two assists in the Game 1 loss, he lit the lamp in the postseason for the first time as a Panther, in the Game 2 defeat that saw Florida nearly come back.
And then there is Game 3. Everyone knows Florida was down 0-2 in the series and needed a victory on home ice to get back in it. It started poorly as Toronto scored two goals before the six-minute mark. However, the Cats kept digging and playing. Eventually, the game found its way into overtime after Morgan Rielly scored a fluky goal that took an unfortunate bounce off Jones.
That set the stage for what would ultimately become Marchand's most iconic moment as a Cat so far. Once again, the grizzled veteran had come in the clutch against his career-long rival. Once again, 'Marchy' tore the hearts of Maple Leaf devotees across North America.
This would ultimately set the stage for another cruel twist of fate for the team. Florida would win Game 4 in a 2-0 shutout and Game 5 back across the border in a 6-1 blowout. In that meeting, he picked up an assist. In Game 7, he scored an empty-netter and racked up two more apples in another 6-1 victory that moved Florida one step closer to accomplishing a massive feat.
The components that made up the third forward line have accounted for 17 goals in some capacity, either by scoring them themselves or assisting on them. As said, both have contributed earlier, and you have seen how. It's easy to question a move right away. But, as we've seen with Bill Zito, he hasn't made many mistakes over the course of his tenure. He's assembled the nucleus that has ushered in the greatest run of success in team history. Maybe everyone should trust him, just a little more.