The Florida Panthers have acquired former goaltender Jacob Markstrom and forward Angus Crookshank from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forwards Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist and Ben Steeves.
Markstrom recorded a 23-19-1 record and posted a 3.07 goals-against average, .883 save percentage and one shutout in 44 games during the 2025-26 campaign. He spent the last two seasons in the Garden State with the Devils after being traded to New Jersey by the Calgary Flames on June 19, 2024.
The 36-year-old Swede will be entering the first of a two-year deal with a $6-million average annual value. The contract has a 20-team no-trade list this season and a five-team no-trade list in 2027-28. The Devils did not retain any salary.
Bill Zito’s big trade brings the Sergei Bobrovsky era of Panthers hockey to end and returns Markstrom to the franchise that originally drafted him in 2008.
Crookshank is a 26-year-old center who scored once in eight games with the Devils last season. He previously played 21 NHL games over two seasons with the Ottawa Senators.
The biggest blow to Florida’s current roster was parting with the Swiss Army knife Rodrigues, who spent the past three years with the club, helping the team win back-to-back Stanley Cup titles. The 32-year-old had 11 goals and 31 points in 69 games last season.
Boqvist heads north for a second stint with the Devils with a Stanley Cup ring on his finger. He slumped to four goals and 13 points last season after putting up a career-high 12 goals and 23 points in 2024-25.
Steeves, 24, has yet to make his NHL debut. He put up 23 goals and 22 assists in 77 AHL games with the Charlotte Checkers last season.