Jacob Markstrom is headed to Florida, and the move says plenty about where both teams are trying to go next.
The Panthers landed Markstrom and forward Angus Crookshank, while the Devils received forwards Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist and Ben Steeves. On paper, it’s the kind of deal that gives each side something useful: Florida gets a goalie who fits its cap reality, and New Jersey clears out a contract while adding depth pieces it can use now or later.
For the Panthers, the biggest ripple is what this likely means for Sergei Bobrovsky. Rather than try to meet Bobrovsky’s presumably steep contract demands, Florida looks set to move into next season with Markstrom and unsigned RFA Akira Schmid as its main goaltending duo.
The money matters here, too. Markstrom and Schmid together would come in at about $8.5 million against the cap, while Bobrovsky’s previous deal carried a $10 million annual hit.
That’s a clean financial win for a Florida team that needs every dollar it can save to round out the rest of the roster, especially the bottom six. Based on the 2025-26 season alone, Markstrom actually gives the Panthers a case to feel good about the gamble. He posted a better save percentage than Bobrovsky, .882 to .876, and the public models had them in a similar range in goals saved above expected.
None of that wipes away Bobrovsky’s playoff track record, and it also doesn’t erase Markstrom’s rough two-year run in New Jersey. But the Panthers have earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to building a contender, and the goalie market isn’t exactly overflowing. This gives Florida room to keep shaping the roster, including a possible deal for defenseman Radko Gudas and maybe a cost-friendly fourth-liner.
The Devils, meanwhile, are taking a different kind of step. New general manager Sunny Mehta is inheriting a roster that didn’t need the risk of keeping a 36-year-old goalie at a $6 million cap hit. Rodrigues and Boqvist give New Jersey useful middle-six help, and both could help stabilize things or become trade chips later on.
Markstrom’s departure does leave the Devils with a hole in net, so the job isn’t finished. But the move also hints at bigger plans.
The Simon Nemec trade added assets, and this deal opens up cap space. Mehta has room to reshape the roster, and this trade suggests he’s already working from a clear plan.
Panthers grade: B
Devils grade: B+
There’s some obvious risk for Florida in betting on a 36-year-old goalie coming off a difficult season, especially for a team that is clearly in win-now mode. Still, Markstrom may be the easier fit than chasing a pricier answer such as Connor Hellebuyck, especially if the Panthers believe their structure can do the heavy lifting in front of him.
Bobrovsky had his postseason moments during both Stanley Cup runs, but he was never flawless before those peaks. If Florida keeps defending the way it usually does, Markstrom and Schmid may be good enough to get the job done.
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For the Devils, it is another reminder of how quickly a familiar toughness piece can become someone elses solution when the market opens. New Jersey has spent recent seasons looking for the right balance of skill and heaviness, and Cotters departure leaves one more vacancy in the bottom six mix as the team continues to sort out what it wants that role to look like going forward. [Read more 🡒]