The Florida Panthers have acquired goaltender Jacob Markstrom and forward Angus Crookshank from the New Jersey Devils in a five-player transaction. In return, the Devils received forwards Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist, and Ben Steeves.
The trade was announced by Devils General Manager Sunny Mehta. This move appears to reshape the Panthers’ goaltending strategy, particularly with the upcoming free agency market.
Panthers’ goaltending changes
The acquisition of Markstrom, a veteran with a .907 career save percentage, follows the Panthers’ earlier acquisition of Akira Schmid from the Vegas Golden Knights. These moves suggest a new goaltending tandem for Florida, potentially signaling the end of the Sergei Bobrovsky era with the team as he approaches free agency.
Markstrom, a veteran, was a second-round pick by the Panthers in 2008 and played 43 games for the club before being traded to Vancouver. He was acquired by New Jersey in the summer of 2024. Last season, he recorded a 23-19-1 record with an .883 save percentage, which was his lowest mark since 2014-15.
As part of the deal, New Jersey will not retain any of Markstrom’s salary. His contract includes a two-year extension that will see his annual salary rise to $6 million next season, a contract the Panthers are now responsible for.
Schmid, 26, played a career-high 29 games for the Golden Knights last season, helping the team maintain its playoff position during injuries to other netminders. He is described as a positional goalie who performs well behind a strong defense.
Devils’ new additions
For the Devils, the trade brings in Rodrigues, Boqvist, and Steeves. Rodrigues, 32, spent the last three years in Florida and was part of the 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup Championship teams. He recorded 31 points in 69 games with Florida last season and has one year remaining on a four-year contract with a cap hit of $3,075,000.
Rodrigues has totaled 270 career points with 217 penalty minutes in 616 NHL games over 11 seasons. He made his NHL debut with Buffalo in April 2016 and has also played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Colorado Avalanche before joining the Panthers in July 2023.
Boqvist, 27, played the last two seasons in Florida and was a member of the Panthers’ 2025 Stanley Cup Championship team. He has played 387 career regular-season NHL games over seven seasons, scoring 105 points with 60 penalty minutes. Boqvist was originally a second-round selection by New Jersey in the 2017 NHL Draft and played four seasons with the Devils from 2019-20 to 2022-23, scoring 55 points in 189 regular-season games.
Steeves, 24, spent the last two seasons with Florida’s AHL affiliate in Charlotte, where he scored 45 points with 100 penalty minutes last year. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by Florida in March 2024. Crookshank, who was traded to Florida, played last season with Utica and New Jersey.
Mehta, who previously served as an assistant general manager with Florida, has familiarity with both Rodrigues and Boqvist. The Devils now have $12.97 million in projected cap space, which could be used to address further roster needs, including potentially another goaltender addition.
He was the team’s starting goalie when they made the playoffs in 2025, where he had a .911 save percentage in the postseason.
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Source: nhl.com
