The Florida Panthers made a solid effort to tweak their roster leading up to the trade deadline this year. GM Bill Zito was among the biggest spenders, sacrificing potential future pieces to compete for the Stanley Cup yet again.
With the start of the playoffs upon us, now it is time for fans to see if those moves were worth it. Their postseason success could depend on contributions from their newest players.
Seth Jones
Seth Jones was the first big move for Florida. The trade with the Chicago Blackhawks was completed six days before the March 7th deadline. The Panthers traded young goalie prospect Spencer Knight and a 2026 first-round draft pick for Jones and a fourth-round pick. The Blackhawks also agreed to retain $2.5 million of the defenseman’s salary for the next five years.
Fans and insiders were divided on the trade at the time. Most were shocked that the Blackhawks were able to get such a significant return on a player with a big contract who wanted out.
Yands is loving the Seth Jones trade to Florida, and after last night’s game from Spencer Knight it’s looking like a home run for both teams. https://t.co/99GU1UEdsv pic.twitter.com/6rDEBginjX
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) March 4, 2025
Some Florida fans were not thrilled to part with a young goalie prospect who could have been the heir apparent to Sergei Bobrovsky. Yet, with the Cats firmly in their cup window, the mindset is win now, worry about the future later.
Jones has been an essential piece for Florida, providing stability and averaging 24:55 of ice time in his 21 games with the team. He is also one of just five Panthers to have played all of the team’s last nine games. With Aaron Ekblad suspended for the first two games of the playoffs, it will be up to Jones to pick up the defensive slack.
Brad Marchand
This one is still hard to believe. Especially so when considering the Panthers essentially gave up just a second-round pick to get him. It still doesn’t feel completely natural watching Marchand skate down the ice in a Florida sweater, yet here we are. The former Bruins Captain will need to be a contributor in the playoffs if the Panthers are going to make a deep run.
He certainly has the experience and past success to give Cats fans optimism. Marchand has won a Stanley Cup (with Boston in 2011) and has played in 157 postseason games. That’s more than double the amount of any other Florida player. In those games, he has tallied 56 goals, 82 assists, and a plus-minus of +30.
What makes Marchand a potential X-factor is his ability, much like his now teammates Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk, to be an instigator on the ice. Some have often considered his style of play as borderline dirty. He’s a nuisance for other teams to deal with, and that can provide a psychological advantage. A Marchand-Tkachuk-Bennett line would be a nightmare for opposing skaters, and potentially garner more hate than any single line in NHL history.
Nico Sturm
While not as big a move as the Jones or Marchand trades, the former San Jose Shark could provide some key depth in the playoffs. A day after trading for backup goaltender Vitek Vanecek, the Sharks and Panthers made another deal that sent Sturm to Sunrise in exchange for a fourth-round pick.
Like Marchand and last year’s Panthers, Sturm has a Stanley Cup win under his belt as part of the Colorado Avalanche in 2022. The 29-year-old forward has struggled with injuries, but seems to be back to full health in time for the first round. Sturm projects to be Florida’s fourth-line center to start the postseason. The Panthers’ forward group might not be as strong as Tampa’s in the top end, but if all their players are healthy and available, they have the depth advantage.