- Panthers sign Akira Schmid to a two-year, $4 million deal, avoiding an Aug. 1 arbitration hearing
- The move settles the final arbitration case left on the NHL’s offseason board
- Read below for what Schmid means behind Jacob Markstrom in Florida’s crease
The Florida Panthers have their backup goalie sorted.
Florida signed Akira Schmid to a two-year contract worth $4 million, a $2 million cap hit, on Friday. The deal wiped out an arbitration hearing that was set for Aug. 1. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first with the terms.
Schmid was the last name on the arbitration board. With his case done, every restricted free agent hearing across the league is now off the calendar for the summer.
The 26-year-old steps into a made-over Florida crease. Sergei Bobrovsky is gone, and the Panthers brought in Jacob Markstrom to take over as the starter. Schmid slots in as the backup, at least to open the year.
He is coming off the busiest season of his career. Schmid went 16-10-6 in 34 games with Vegas last year, posting an .893 save percentage and a 2.59 goals-against average. Injuries opened the door, with Carter Hart late to debut and Adin Hill fighting a groin problem for much of the winter.
Before Sin City, Schmid spent three years in New Jersey as mostly a third-stringer. He finished his Devils run with a 14-18-3 record, a .899 save percentage and a 2.90 goals-against average across 43 games.
Markstrom struggled through one of his worst seasons in New Jersey a year ago, so the backup job in Florida might not stay a backup job for long. If Markstrom stumbles early, Schmid has a real path to more starts behind a roster that still expects to contend.
