The Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup for the second straight year last night, beating the Edmonton Oilers also for the second straight year.

But this year's edition of the Panthers had an addition at the trade deadline that provided depth and contributed to the Panthers' win. No, I'm not talking about Bran Marchand. I'm talking about former Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones.

The Panthers acquired Jones on March 1 from the Chicago Blackhawks. Many people at the time wondered what Florida was doing trading for the disgruntled blueliner, but GM Bill Zito is turning into the best GM in the league, and knew exactly what he was doing. He also knows Jones very well from their time in Columbus.

Seth Jones had 9 points in 21 games after coming over from Chicago. This is after scoring 27 in 42 with the Hawks. Jones had a pretty good season actually.

So, how did he do in the playoffs? He picked up where he left off is what he did. In the Panthers cup run, he played 23 games. Jones chipped in 4 goals, which included a PPP and a GWG. He also recorded 5 assists, which included a pair of power play assists. He also had a plus-11 rating. Like most of the players for Florida, Seth Jones was really good.

Jones still has four years left on an 8-year deal he signed after being traded away from the Columbus Blue Jackets, so expect Jones and company to run it back one or two more times before that contract concludes.

And now Blue Jackets fans, turn your eyes away for the next part.

Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is now a 100% lock for the Hockey Hall of Fame after winning his second consecutive Stanley Cup and playing in his third straight.

Bobrovsky guided his team through a gauntlet of a playoff run that included wins over rivals Tampa Bay and Toronto, plus Carolina, and another heavyweight in Edmonton.

Bob would go 16-7 in these playoffs with a SV% of .914 and record three shutouts. He also sported a GAA of 2.20. Having that GAA against the likes of Toronto and Edmonton is an insane stat.

Now, want to feel old? Sergei Bobrovsky only has one year left on the 7-year, 70 million dollar deal he signed on July 1, 2019. He's come a long way from his early seasons in Florida when fans were calling for the Panthers to buy him out or trade him and move on.

Will Bob retire and head off into the South Florida sunset after next season? Or will he try to keep playing for a few more years?

And now for the one that really got away. GM Bill Zito has built an absolute dynasty in Florida and is quickly becoming the best GM in the league.

Zito was hired by the Panthers on 2020 after spending the previous 7 seasons with the Blue Jackets in various roles, including Asst. General Manager, Associate General Manager, Sr. VP of Hockey Operations, and General Manager of the Cleveland Monsters. Zito is also a former attorney and professional sports agent.

Many fans around Columbus were calling for Zito to be hired as GM for the Blue Jackets long before former GM Jarmo Kekäläinen was let go in 2024. The problem is, Kekäläinen was just coming off of a historic sweep of Tampa Bay and an early round victory over Toronto in 2020. But, this is also just after losing Sergei Bobrovsky, Artemi Panarin, and a few others to free agency.

Many rumors and stories have come out since that time, saying that those guys left because of a variety of factors, including former HC John Tortorella and Jarmo Kekäläinen.

Zito has been nominated for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award four times in the past five seasons, but has yet to win the award some how. But something tells me that winning back-to-back Stanley Cups trumps any awards he hasn't won.

Zito will have his work cut out for this summer though, as the Panther have 9 UFAs on their roster. Names that are UFA include Brad Marchand, Conn Smythe Trophy winner Sam Bennett, Nico Sturm, and Aaron Ekblad. Zito will only have $19 million to spend, so he's going to have to prove he is in fact one of the best GMs in the league. Something tells me he will try his hardest to land UFA Mitch Marner this offseason too.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have lost a lot of guys over the years who have gone on to win the Cup, but none of them sting like Bobrovsky and Zito. Many people like to throw Jared Bednar into that group as well after he left the Lake Erie Monsters after winning the Calder Cup and went to Colorado. After bringing the Avs out of rebuild mode, they won the Cup in 2022. Many fans forget, though, that the CBJ had John Tortorella as HC, and wasn't going to let him go at that time. Bednar was just bad timing, and it was no one's fault.

Congrats to Bill Zito, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Seth Jones for winning the 2025 Stanley Cup!

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