After historic month, Seth Jones a serious candidate for Norris Trophy

Seth Jones is a strong candidate for the Norris Trophy.

Let's let those works sink in.

Just one month into the 2026-27 season, the Panthers' defenseman and quarterback is one of the top contenders for the trophy given to the top defensive player who demonstrates the greatest all-round ability at the position throughout the regular season.

Jones' candidacy is not due to his spot among the league leaders (his 18 points overall are good for 18th in the league, and his 16 assists are tied for second in the league with teammate Matthew Tkachuk, along with two others). His stature is also not a result of Panthers' analysts Jessica Blaylock and Ed Jovanoski mentioning his name along with the coveted trophy throughout Jones' historic month of October.

Jones' link to the Norris Trophy is due to the fact that through his entire career -- in addition to his torrid start of 2026-27 - -he has embodied the noble traits tied to this respected award.

"I don't judge my game based on points," Jones said after his three-point game in Friday's 5-2 win over Winnipeg. "I judge it based on how smart my plays are, how efficient I am breaking the puck out."

After the game, the Panthers third straight win, a reporter asked Jones how it felt to set the Panthers' record for points scored by a defenseman in one month. Jones gave a puzzled look. He didn't even know about the record.

In case you haven't been keeping track, Jones tallied 18 points (2 goals and 16 assists) across October, surpassing the previous Panthers franchise record of 17 points set by Keith Yandle in March 2018.

"Seth Jones has been a huge driver for us," coach Paul Maurice said. "Offensively he's as strong as there is from the blue line. He keeps getting better. I don't think we can ask him to do more than what he's doing other than more minutes. That's his next level of greatness."

Maurice has often said that Florida's demise last season came when Jones got injured by a puck to the chest in January. Florida was just one point out of the playoffs when Jones was injured and "that was the end of it for us," Maurice said.

The man advantage

Jones' early-season leadership has been most evident on the power play, which the Panthers (8-4-2) have dominated after a slow start. Maurice maximizes Jones's time on the ice with the extra man, and whether he's scoring, passing, or saving a puck from escaping over the blue line, Jones is integral to the Panthers' power play prowess.

Jones' surge of skill came at the perfect time for the Panthers, who remain without standout forwards Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand because of injuries. Both resumed skating this week; Marchand could be back in about three weeks and Barkov in about four, Maurice said.

Until then, Jones is happy to hold down the fort. But if you ask him, he's just doing his job.

Add us as a preferred source on Google