Welcome back to today’s edition of the LBC All-Time Florida Panthers Countdown. For a brief on the construction of this list, click here.
Yesterday, we touched on former Panthers D Filip Kuba (18 games, one goal, six assists, LW Sergei Samsonov (20 games, three goals, 11 assists), C Dominic Moore (48 games, eight goals, nine assists), and D Jeff Norton (51 games, zero goals, 11 assists).
In today’s morning article, we will check out our goaltender of the future, as well as a defenseman, a center and a left winger.
Feel free to follow along by clicking below….if you dare.
148. Jacob Markstrom
Markstrom was a 6’6″ goaltender from Gavle, Sweden. Florida picked him in the second round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft with the 31st overall pick. He played three seasons with the Swedish Elite Brynas IF Gavle, playing 85 games with a 2.25 GAA.
Markstrom made his North American debut with the AHL Rochester Americans in 2010-11, totalling a 16-20-1 record with a .907 save percentage and a 2.98 GAA. He got into one game with the Panthers, making 12 saves on 14 shots and taking the loss as the Cats dropped a 5-2 decision to the New Jersey Devils on January 23.
2011-12 would see Markstrom start the season with the Panthers due to an injury to backup Scott Clemmensen. Blessed with both freakish size and natural quickness, and dubbed “The Alien,” for his inexplicable knack for stopping everything, Markstrom compiled a 2-4-1 record. In his first five games, Markstrom saved 152-of-161 opposing shots for a save percentage of .944 He finished his extended NHL tryout with a .923 save percentage and a 2.66 GAA. (Please, see video below, and be thankful (and maybe get a little excited)).
Markstrom: brilliant saves vs Canadiens – Oct 24, 2011 (HD) (via HockeyWebCaster)
If you just watched the video, maybe you’ve been reminded that the Alien is the real deal. Markstrom is signed through next season, and although he was at one time considered to be the odds-on favorite to start the 2012-13 season as the Panthers number one goaltender, it seems as if the front office may keep him in San Antonio for more “seasoning.” Of course, it all hinges on what happens in the preseason camp. I’m ok either way – I trust Dale Tallon implicitly (and you should, too).
All-Time Statline: Two seasons, eight games, 2-5-1, 19 goals allowed, 217 saves, .919 save percentage, 2.70 GAA, 1.3 APS.
147. Kirk Muller
Muller was a 6′ center from Kingston, Ontario. The New Jersey Devils picked him in the first round of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft with the second overall pick. In three OHL seasons (one as a 15-year old with the Kingston Canadiens in 1981-82, and two with the Guelph Platers), he totalled 95 goals with 162 assists in 182 games.
Muller joined the New Jersey Devils in 1984-85, playing every game as a rookie. He played with the Devils for seven full seasons, missing only four games during that time. In 556 games he made 185 goals with 335 assists and 572 penalty minutes. He would add five goals and 13 assists in 33 playoff games. He made the All-Star Roster on four occasions while with the Devils. New Jersey traded him to the Montreal Canadiens just before the 1991-92 season with Roland Melanson for Stephane Richer and Tom Chorske.
After making two more All-Star rosters and helping the Canadiens (267 games, 104 goals, 143 assists) to a Stanley Cup in 1993, Muller went on to play with the New York Islanders (27 games, seven goals, eight assists) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (102 games, 29 goals, 33 assists). The Leafs shipped him off to the Panthers on March 18, 1997 for Jason Podollan.
Muller finished the 1996-97 season with the Panthers, scoring a goal and two assists in the last 10 games of the regular season. He pitched in with a goal and two more assists in the Panthers five game series loss against the New York Rangers.
In 1997-98, Muller played in 70 games with Florida, scoring eight goals and 21 assists, a minus-14 rating and 54 penalty minutes. He earned two points on four separate occasions, including a two goal game in a 3-3 tie with the Calgary Flames on January 9th. Three of his goals were game winners.
1998-99 would see Muller remain with the Panthers, appearing in all 82 games and scoring four goals and 11 assists while skating an average of 14:28 per game. He scored two goals and an assist on April 17th in a 6-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the last game of the season. It would also mark Muller’s last game with the club, as he signed a free agent contract with the Dallas Stars on December 15th.
Muller would play four seasons in Dallas, scoring 19 goals with 49 assists in 235 games, retiring just before the 2003-04 season. He took over the Carolina Hurricanes head coaching vacancy when incumbent Paul Maurice was fired on Novemer 28, 2011, and remains at the position today.
All-Time Statline: Three seasons, 162 games, 13 goals, 34 assists, 47 points, minus-27 rating, 108 PIM, 1.4 APS.
146. Magnus Johansson
Johansson was a 5’11” defenseman from Linkoping, Sweden. He enjoyed a long career in the Swedish Elite League, playing in parts of nine seasons (11 seasons total, 547 games, 101 goals, 239 assists) before making his North American debut with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2007-08. After logging 14 assists through 45 games, the Hawks dealt him to the Panthers for a seventh round draft pick.
Johansson made his Florida debut on January 10th, eventually playing in 27 games and making 10 assists while averaging 16:29 per game. He skipped over the pond after the season, signing on with the Atlant Moscow Region KHL team, eventually rejoining Linkopings HC in Sweden.
All-Time Statline: One season, 27 games, zero goals, 10 assists, 10 points, even rating, 14 PIM, 1.4 APS.
145. Cam Stewart
Stewart was a 5’11” left winger from Kitchener, Ontario. The Boston Bruins picked him in the third round of the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, 63rd overall. Instead of reporting to the Bruins organization, he elected to attend college at the University of Michigan, playing three seasons of collegiate hockey with the Wolverines. In 127 games he collected 41 goals with 78 assists, ending with the 1992-93 season.
Stewart made his AHL and NHL debuts in the 1993-94 season, spending four seasons in the Bruins organization. With Boston, he played 83 NHL games, scoring three goals with seven assists. Meanwhile, in Providence, he would total 37 goals and 41 assists in 117 AHL contests.
Stewart spent the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons with the IHL Houston Aeros, in 124 games scoring 54 goals with 53 assists. He helped the team win the 1999 Turner Cup. The Panthers signed him to a free agent contract during the 1999 offseason.
In 1999-00, two years and eight months removed from his latest NHL action, Stewart opened the season with the Panthers. He would score his first NHL goal in almost six years, also adding an assist for his first two points with Florida in his seventh game with the club, a 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on October 20th. On December 27th, he would light the lamp twice, adding an assist in a 6-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He played in a career high 65 games with the Panthers, adding career highs with nine goals and 16 points.
Left unprotected in the 2000 expansion draft, Stewart was claimed by the Minnesota Wild. He scored four goals with a career high nine assists in 2000-01, playing 54 games. He missed the 2001-02 season due to a concussion suffered in training camp, eventually retiring before the 2002-03 season. He is currently an assistant coach with the Aeros.
All-Time Statline: One season, 65 games, nine goals, seven assists, 16 points, minus-2 rating, 30 PIM, 1.4 APS.
Thanks for stopping by, and hopefully you’re feeling a little better as the stars get just a little bit brighter every day. Make sure to leave comments (let’s talk ALIEN – Prometheus or otherwise), vote, and come back next week for 20 players, including 12 forwards, five defensemen, and three goaltenders.
Where do you want Jacob Markstrom to open the season?
| Sunrise | 28 |
| San Antonio | 30 |
| Trade him for everything Florida can get (might just be quite a bit) | 1 |