- Panthers land Jacob Markstrom and Angus Crookshank from the Devils for three forwards
- The 36-year-old goalie returns to the team that drafted him back in 2008
- Read below for Markstrom’s reaction and what it means for Florida’s crease
Jacob Markstrom is going back to where it all started.
The Panthers acquired the veteran goalie from the Devils on Tuesday. Florida sent forwards Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist and Ben Steeves to New Jersey, and also picked up forward Angus Crookshank in the deal.
Elliotte Friedman reported the framework Tuesday:
The move closes the book on Sergei Bobrovsky in South Florida. He started for the Panthers the past seven seasons and won back-to-back Cups in 2024 and 2025 before signing with the Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
Pierre LeBrun laid out the money details:
Markstrom brings a two-year, $12 million contract with him, carrying a $6 million cap hit into next season. He went 23-19-1 with a .883 save percentage and one shutout in 44 games for New Jersey last year.
Florida drafted Markstrom 31st overall in 2008 and gave him his first four NHL seasons before he moved on to Vancouver, Calgary and New Jersey. Getting dealt back 12 years later was not something he saw coming.
Markstrom said the return caught him off guard when he met with reporters on a Zoom call Thursday:
“I’m super stoked, super excited, that I am (back) and it’s a crazy business,” Markstrom said. “But the same way I didn’t think I was going to get traded 12 years ago or however long it was, I didn’t think I was going to get traded back now. So it’s good to get back and I’m excited to go into that dressing room.”
He was also asked about stepping in for a likely Hall of Famer.
“Obviously Bobrovsky is a great goalie, and he did great things in Florida,” Markstrom said. “When the puck drops, you just try to stop as many shots as you can, keep the puck out of the net. I’m not trying to add any extra pressure of what happened in the past. … We all want to win again.”
Bobrovsky held the Florida crease for seven years and two Cups. Now it belongs to the goalie the Panthers drafted 18 years ago.
