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FILE – New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom (25) makes a save against Boston Bruins forward Alex Steeves (21) during the third period of an NHL hockey game, March 16, 2026, in Newark, N.J.<\/p>\n
Noah K. Murray\/AP Photo\/Noah K. Murray<\/p>\n
FILE – Florida Panthers’ Evan Rodrigues (17) plays against the Minnesota Wild during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Jan. 24, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn.<\/p>\n
Lily Dozier\/AP Photo\/Lily Dozier<\/p>\n
The Florida Panthers traded for their second goaltender in as many days, acquiring Jacob Markstrom in a deal with the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday that all but certainly signals the end of Sergei Bobrovsky’s storied run in South Florida.<\/p>\n
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The Panthers sent Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist and the rights to pending restricted free agent Ben Steeves to the Devils for Markstrom and winger Angus Crookshank. Florida got goalie Akira Schmid from Vegas on Monday night for a 2028 third-round pick.<\/p>\n
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\u201cJacob is an established veteran leader in this league who possesses size and a relentless drive to win,\u201d Panthers general manager Bill Zito said. \u201cWe are excited for him to compete alongside our established group and return to South Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n
Markstrom at 36 returns to Florida, where he started his NHL career a decade and a half ago. He was one of the top prospects at the position after getting taken with the 34th pick in the 2008 draft and played his first 43 games in the league with the Panthers during their down years, long before becoming a contender again.<\/p>\n
Bobrovsky, 37, backstopped Florida to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2024 and \u201925 and another trip to the final in \u201923. He is expected to be among the top players available when free agency opens Wednesday.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Markstrom is beginning a two-year contract at an annual salary cap hit of $6 million. That was signed in late October by former Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald, who left the organization in April. Moving on from him is the first big roster shakeup for successor Sunny Mehta. New Jersey now has Jake Allen in net and will likely go shopping for his tandem mate in free agency.<\/p>\n Rodrigues, who turns 33 on July 28, gives the Devils another top-nine forward. The Panthers shed his salary of just over $3 million after getting Brady Tkachuk from Ottawa to play with brother Matthew.<\/p>\n The Devils also re-signed forward Arseny Gritsyuk to a three-year, $9.75 million contract. The 25-year-old Gritsyuk is from Russia, and had 13 goals and 31 points in his rookie season last year, and was a pending restricted free agent.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n In other moves around the NHL:<\/p>\n \u2014 The New York Rangers agreed to a seven-year contract with newly acquired Pavel Dorofeyev, the high-scoring forward acquired in a trade with Vegas. Dorofeyev is a fifth-year NHL veteran, and was a pending restricted free agent. He had career-highs with 37 goals and 64 points and scored 12 goals in the playoffs.<\/p>\n \u2014 The St. Louis Blues put winger Jonathan Drouin on unconditional waivers to buy out the final season of his contract. They got Drouin at the trade deadline from the New York Islanders as part of the return for Brayden Schenn.<\/p>\n \u2014 Utah signed goalie Sebastian Cossa to a two-year, $4 million contract after trading a first-round pick to Detroit for his rights.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u2014 The Minnesota Wild re-signed right wing Bobby Brink to a one-year, $2.75 million contract. Brink, a Minnesota native who was acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers before the trade deadline last season, was eligible to be a restricted free agent. The 24-year-old had 15 goals and 15 assists in 68 regular-season games between the Flyers and Wild.<\/p>\n \u2014 Fresh off winning the Cup, Carolina reacquired defenseman Kyle Masters’ rights from Anaheim for forward Noah Philp. The Hurricanes sent Masters to the Ducks on Saturday along with a sixth-round pick for the rights to pending free agent John Carlson.<\/p>\n \u2014 Vegas, which lost to Carolina in the final, made a one-for-one defenseman swap with Pittsburgh, sending Kaedan Korczak to the Penguins for Parker Wotherspoon. Pittsburgh is retaining half of Wotherspoon’s $1 million salary in a cap-saving deal for the Golden Knights. ___<\/p>\n AP Hockey Writer John Wawrow and AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell contributed to this report.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/a>
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