The Florida Panthers are getting their new starting goalie as they are close to acquiring Jacob Markstrom from the New Jersey Devils.
According to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, the deal is done, with Florida sending three players, including Evan Rodrigues, to the Panthers for Markstrom plus another player. The Panthers have their new goalie.
“Evan Rodriques, Jesper Boqvist and Ben Steeves to NJ in exchange for Jacob Markstrom and Angus Crookshank. That’s the full Panthers-Devils deal,” LeBrun wrote on X.
Panthers Needed a New Goalie
The Panthers are likely going to lose Sergei Bobrovsky in free agency after he spent the last seven seasons in Sunrise, helping the Panthers capture two Stanley Cups.
Bobrovsky is now 37, and he is coming off a down year. With him looking for big money in free agency and with the Panthers capped out, the team cannot give him the big-money contract that he wants.
Reports in recent weeks have linked the Toronto Maple Leafs to acquiring Bobrovsky, and we’ll likely find out what happens on July 1, as the goalie will likely be one of the first players off the board when free agency opens up.
With Bobrovsky gone, the Panthers now have a new goaltending duo of Markstrom and Akira Schmid, who was picked up from the Vegas Golden Knights for a third-round pick this week.
Jacob Markstrom Has History in Florida
Markstrom has history in Florida, having been drafted by the Panthers in the second round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.
The 36-year-old Markstrom played the first four years of his career in Florida before he was dealt to the Vancouver Canucks in the Roberto Luongo deal in 2014. Markstrom then spent seven years in Vancouver, four years with the Calgary Flames, and the past two seasons with the Devils.
Markstrom has two years left on his current contract, paying him $6 million per season for the next two years. Given his cost certainty and the fact that Bobrovsky reportedly wants six or seven years on his next deal, it made sense for Florida to pick up Markstrom instead of giving Bobrovsky a long-term deal.
Panthers Acquiring Jacob Markstrom From Devils