The Florida Panthers didn’t just pick up Brad Marchand from the Boston Bruins right before the 2025 NHL trade deadline. There were more. General Manager Bill Zito made some smart moves to strengthen the team’s depth and experience, especially as they gear up for a serious playoff run. They made some important additions that focused on defense, goaltending, and adding more depth to the forwards. And among them was Seth Jones, who was playing as a defenseman for the Chicago Blackhawks.

The defenseman played 259 regular season games with the Hawks over four seasons, scoring 32 goals and racking up 114 points, totaling 146 points overall. Pretty impressive for a defenseman who can also score! It’s clear that Jones wanted to be in the postseason, and since Chicago couldn’t pull it together with the franchise’s rebuild, he had to make this move. “I’m extremely happy that I’ve gotten this opportunity and that this franchise and this group believed in me. I wasn’t playing probably the greatest hockey in Chicago, but I’m glad I came here and have the supporting group around me. Just trying to keep it simple and play defense first. I think I’m in a pretty good spot,” Jones said when he came on board with Florida.

It’s been a few weeks, and his view on being with the Panthers really contrasts with Marchand’s, who also got traded to this team. Do you recall when Marchand mentioned, “The guys are just there to help every day. When you have a veteran group and guys that have been through big moments before, everyone just goes about their business. It’s very easy to fall into place and just do your role. It’s a special group.” The hockey forward mentioned that it took him a little while to fit in with the Panthers because he wasn’t there from the start, because of to an injury that kept him out for a few games.

For Seth Jones, settling down in Florida was a whole different experience. During the media availability for the Eastern Conference Final, the Panthers defenseman mentioned, “Yeah, for sure. I mean, you know, I’m still renting a place, so I don’t, you know, I don’t have, you know, full roots down yet, but there are some years left on the contract, and, you know, I’m just focused on hockey right now. I’m not really focused on anything else besides, you know, being the best player I can be on the ice and trying to help the team win.”

The star defenseman really focused on just playing hockey and helping the team win, showing how dedicated he is to the sport and his new team. The playoff mindset in the Florida locker room feels pretty similar, and it’s something that’s been echoed by his teammates as well.

Brad Marchand staying humble despite dominant postseason performance

The Florida Panthers are really making a statement in the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes, leading the series 3-0. In Game 3, the Panthers really turned it up, netting five goals in the third period and sealing a 6-2 victory. They’re just one win away from reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the third consecutive time! But you know, big names like Brad Marchand are keeping it real and staying humble.

He said, “Yeah, you don’t think about that. We’re prepared to go 7 here, and I think the biggest thing for this group is we’re really good at just focusing on what we need to do and staying in the moment and not looking ahead. You can’t start looking ahead. I mean, it’s such a dangerous game to play.”

So, the Panthers are up 3-0 heading into Game 4, but Marchand is totally up for the challenge if the Canes can pull off a comeback and push it to Game 7. But to prevent that, everyone on the team, including him, is really focused and just concentrating on the challenge right in front of them, instead of getting lost in thoughts about the Cup.

Additionally, the hockey forward mentioned, “But what we’re really good at is just coming in and preparing the right way, and you have a lot of guys that have been through these moments before and kind of know how to deal with them. So you just rely on that and come in and try to do our job. It doesn’t mean that everything’s going to go our way, but you prepare to control the things that you can.” Marchand has been here before in the postseason. He gets what’s on the line, and to put it simply, he wants to avoid any slip-ups that could hurt Florida in the Eastern Conference Final. He’s all set to tackle whatever challenges come his way.