The Florida Panthers picked up goalies Jacob Markstrom and Akira Schmid this week. The moves likely spell the end in Florida for star goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. Will Florida be better off with the new look in net?
The Florida Panthers completely changed their goalie tandem for next season.
Florida acquired netminder Jacob Markstrom and left winger Angus Crookshank from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for winger Evan Rodrigues, center Jesper Boqvist and left winger Ben Steeves.
The trade – along with the Panthers' acquisition of backup goalie Akira Schmid from the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday – almost certainly spells the end of the line in Florida for longtime starter Sergei Bobrovsky. The two-time Stanley Cup champion is set to be a UFA come Wednesday when free agency opens.
Although the Panthers have upgraded elsewhere on the roster so far this off-season, they're downgrading in net in terms of playoff experience and potentially in quality of play, which could hurt their chances of winning the Stanley Cup for the third time in four seasons.
Bobrovsky did great things in Florida, backstopping them to three straight Stanley Cup finals and winning the championship twice. In the 2024-25 post-season, he had a very impressive 2.20 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and three shutouts in 23 games.
While Markstrom was a second-team NHL all-star in 2022, he lacks the experience Bobrovsky has had on the big stage.
Markstrom's last playoff experience came in 2024-25, when he had a 2.78 GAA and .911 SP in a five-game loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Those are decent numbers, but it's not enough to suggest he would be outstanding in a lengthy playoff run.
Bobrovsky didn't have a great season, posting an .877 save percentage and 3.07 goals-against average as the Panthers shockingly missed the playoffs.
But it's tough to argue that Markstrom's 3.07 GAA and .883 SP in 44 games are an upgrade. Even if you call those stats a virtual tie with Bobrovsky's, playoff experience is the tiebreaker.
Markstrom isn't a poor goalie when evaluating his whole career, but those numbers were far from ideal as well, and he couldn't steal enough games for the Devils to make the playoffs.
Considering the Devils acquired Markstrom from the Calgary Flames two years ago and traded him before his two-year contract extension worth $6 million annually kicks in next season, he didn't solve their goaltending issues. That should be some cause for concern in Florida.
As for Schmid, who cost a 2028 third-round pick to acquire, his 2.59 GAA and .893 SP in 34 games this past season aren't significantly better than outgoing Panthers backup Daniil Tarasov's 3.05 GAA and .895 SP in 33 games.
The lack of a contract extension for Bobrovsky means that either his price tag or the term he's looking for was not something the Panthers were willing to provide. So moving off Bobrovsky may be positive in some regard for Florida, but there's a significant risk in moving forward with two goalies who haven't won anything of significance at the NHL level.
Bobrovsky didn't always have excellent regular seasons for Florida, but he frequently figured things out by the playoffs and stopped more than expected, given the quality of the scoring chances he faced. He may not have won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, but he gave the Panthers a much better chance of winning the Stanley Cup year in and year out.
That's why, on paper, the Panthers' Cup chances are slightly worse with Markstrom as the new starter. He has not shown enough to give the Panthers full expectations that he will stop everything he needs to in the important moments and more.
That said, the Panthers upgraded in other areas – namely, grit and skill on offense – by acquiring Brady Tkachuk. Injuries to Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk and other important players were the chief reason Florida missed the playoffs this past season as well.
So, even with mere average goaltending, the Panthers have enough depth and skill to bounce back. But time will tell whether Markstrom and Schmid can get Florida into the Stanley Cup final next season.
The Panthers will try to tap into Markstrom's desire to win a Cup, but Florida GM Bill Zito is taking a massive chance that not one, but two new goalies will do the trick for the Panthers in the highly competitive Atlantic Division.
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