SAN JOSE - Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones skated more miles than any player across the NHL’s five opening-night games Tuesday, logging 4.43 miles and a team-high 28:59 of ice time as Florida shut out the Carolina Hurricanes 1-0 in overtime.
Jones, 31, was the workhorse of a Panthers blue line that held Carolina off the board for the full 60 minutes and into overtime. His ice time dwarfed his own already-heavy workload from last season, when he led the Panthers with 23:42 per game over 52 games, averaging 3:34 on the power play and 2:18 on the penalty kill.
“My legs felt pretty good last night,” Jones said following Wednesday’s practice in San Jose. “I just hope I can keep that energy through the rest of this road trip and the season.”
Jones spent the majority of his offseason training in South Florida alongside fellow defenseman Aaron Ekblad. “It was a long summer, for sure,” he said. “It was nice for, not only me, but for the rest of the team to get some training in. Did a lot of skating work this summer with the guys on the ice. Just tried to stay fast and keep the feet going. The rest of that stuff just comes together.”
Head coach Paul Maurice showed no surprise at his defenseman’s durability. “He’s an incredibly fit man,” Maurice said. “He’s capable of doing it.”
Jones, taken by the Nashville Predators with the fourth-overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, has averaged 23:46 of ice time per game across his 14-year career. While with the Columbus Blue Jackets, he set the record for most minutes skated in a playoff game, logging 65:06 during a five-overtime game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Aug. 11, 2020. The Panthers acquired Jones from the Chicago Blackhawks prior to winning the Stanley Cup in 2025.
Florida looks to improve to 2-0-0 when the Panthers visit the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET.