Goaltender Jacob Markstrom is heading back to Florida after the Panthers completed a five-player trade with the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.
Florida brought in Markstrom along with forward Angus Crookshank, while shipping forwards Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist, plus prospect Ben Steeves, off to New Jersey in the deal.
Markstrom, 36, has a long history with the Panthers organization. Florida selected him in the second round of the 2008 draft, and he played 43 games for the club before being dealt to the Vancouver Canucks back in March 2014.
The towering 6-foot-6 netminder posted a record of 23-19-1 with one shutout across 44 appearances for the Devils during the 2025-26 season, finishing with a 3.07 goals-against average and an .883 save percentage.
Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito expressed enthusiasm about the reunion. “Jacob is an established veteran leader in this league who possesses size and a relentless drive to win,” Zito said. “We are excited for him to compete alongside our established group and return to South Florida.”
Markstrom’s resume includes an All-Star selection in 2019-20 and a Vezina Trophy finalist nod in 2021-22. Across his career with the Panthers, Canucks, Calgary Flames, and Devils, he has compiled a 264-231-64 record with 25 shutouts, a 2.73 goals-against average, and a .907 save percentage in 264 games.
This trade is part of a broader overhaul in goal for Florida. The Panthers also picked up goaltender Akira Schmid from the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday and appear to be moving away from longtime starter Sergei Bobrovsky, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday.
Crookshank, 26, managed one goal in eight games during his only season with New Jersey in 2025-26. Prior to that, he recorded two goals and two assists in 21 games with the Ottawa Senators between 2023 and 2025.
Zito also acknowledged the players heading to New Jersey. “We also want to extend our sincere gratitude to Evan and Jesper for their contributions to our organization,” he said.
Rodrigues, 32, was part of back-to-back Stanley Cup championship teams with Florida in 2023-24 and 2024-25. He put up 31 points — 11 goals and 20 assists — in 69 games during the 2025-26 campaign. Over his career spanning 616 games with the Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, Colorado Avalanche, and Panthers, he has tallied 270 points.
Boqvist, 27, also won a Cup in his first year with Florida in 2024-25 and contributed 13 points — four goals and nine assists — in 73 games in 2025-26. He began his NHL career with New Jersey from 2019 to 2023, where the Devils drafted him in the second round in 2017. Across 387 career games with the Devils, Boston Bruins, and Panthers, he has recorded 105 points.
Steeves, 24, just wrapped up his third season with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, setting career bests in 2025-26 with 23 goals and 22 assists in 72 games.
