It’s the chance to play in games like this that excited Jones about joining the Panthers.
After manning the blue line for parts of four seasons with the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks, the former first-round pick was acquired by the Panthers prior to the NHL's trade deadline in March.
Immediately, he had a good feeling about his new surroundings.
“You could just feel how it’s a family environment,” Jones said. “From the players to the coaches to the medial staff to the equipment guys, just everything, you could feel how tight it all was. Everyone respects each other. Everyone wants the best for each other.”
It’s also that environment that has brought out the best in him.
With the Panthers losing top-pair defenseman Aaron Ekblad for the final 18 games of the regular season, Jones was essentially thrown into the deep end shortly after he arrived.
Getting a crash course in “Panthers Hockey,” he spent countless hours watching video.
Crediting the coaching staff for getting him up to speed, he adjusted his entire approach.
“He’s built from the time he’s got here,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “It was a bit of a challenge when he came in. We played him with every defenseman. Just with injuries and our schedule and things like that. He’s just gotten stronger and stronger. His foundational game, I think, was originally offensive, and now he’s built this gap-closure, great stick, some physicality, but he’s kept the offensive part of his game. That’s what we had hoped.”
After getting 21 games to adjust to his new surroundings during the regular season, Jones has hit the ground running since the playoffs got underway.
With 19 games in the books, he leads Florida’s defensemen in goals (4), plus/minus (+13) and average ice time per game (25:45) this postseason.
Manning the top unit, he’s also helped the power play operate at 24.2%.
Finding the perfect partner, Jones has also benefitted from playing with Niko Mikkola.
When that pair has been deployed at 5-on-5 these playoffs, the Panthers have posted favorable margins in goals (14-5), shot attempts (222-190) and scoring chances (102-70).
A towering twosome, they stand a combined 12-foot-10 without skates.
“Rangy,” Maurice said of the pair. “They get across ice, and they need it. The long sticks are so important. When you play a team with Edmonton’s speed, you’re not always going to be on top of them or ahead of them. … Those guys can keep players to the outside, skate to the outside. They can hold hands in the middle and cover the boards.”
When it comes to facing the Oilers' high-flying offense, Jones is embracing the challenge.
“We understand they have dangerous players, but I don’t’ think it’s going to change how we play,” said Jones, who's under contract with the Panthers through the 2029-30 season. “We’re still going to defend as a group of five out there. We want to try and limit things off the rush as always, but just continue to play our system as always.”
Most importantly, the Panthers aren’t surprised by what Jones has been able to do.
Prior to becoming the general manager and president of hockey operations for the Panthers, Bill Zito got to know Jones during his time as an assistant general manager with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
So, when Zito pulled the trigger on trading for him, he knew the type of player he was getting.
But even then, the Panthers still might've received even more than they'd hoped for.
“He’s as advertised,” Maurice said.
With the Stanley Cup Final all square at 1-1, Jones and the Panthers will try to take a lead in the series when they host the Oilers for Game 3 at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday at 8 p.m. ET.
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