Markstrom 'super stoked' for Panthers return after trade from Devils

After the trade between the Florida Panthers and New Jersey Devils had been finalized, with the Panthers acquiring Jacob Markstrom on Tuesday, Florida goaltending coach Robb Tallas reached out to his new goalie.

He was, in fact, also his old goalie.

Tallas mentioned how he had grown a lot since the last time they were together, back in 2013-14, when Markstrom was in his fourth NHL season Tallas was in his fifth coaching the goalies for the Panthers.

“I said I’ve grown a lot too: I’ve got a beard, I’ve got a wife, I’ve got kids,” Markstrom said Thursday in a Zoom call. “Became a whole lot better goaltender and established in this League than when I was 20 years old. It’s going to be a lot of fun to work with him again.”

The trade, which sent forwards Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist and Ben Steeves to New Jersey for Markstrom, marked a homecoming for the 36-year-old, who was chosen by Florida in the second round (No. 31) of the 2008 NHL Draft, and eventually played for the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and Devils before returning to Florida.

“I’m super stoked, super excited, that I am (back) and it’s a crazy business,” Markstrom said. “But the same way I didn’t think I was going to get traded 12 years ago or however long it was, I didn’t think I was going to get traded back now. So it’s good to get back and I’m excited to go into that dressing room.”

Markstrom was 23-19-1 with a 3.07 goals-against average, .883 save percentage and one shutout in 44 games (43 starts) for New Jersey last season. He will begin a two-year, $12 million contract, with a $6 million average annual value, this season; the contract was signed on Nov. 1, 2025, with the Devils.

The trade marks a sea change for the Panthers, too, after having Sergei Bobrovsky in net for the past seven seasons, including two Stanley Cup-winning seasons (2024 and 2025). Bobrovsky signed a three-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.

But Markstrom does not see that as pressure, even as he replaces a likely Hall of Fame goalie.

“Obviously Bobrovsky is a great goalie," Markstrom said, "and he did great things in Florida, great things in Columbus (with the Blue Jackets) and he’s been one of the best goalies in the League for decades. ... When the puck drops, you just try to stop as many shots as you can, keep the puck out of the net. I’m not trying to overdo it or not trying to add any extra pressure of what happened in the past. I think everyone that’s here wants the same thing. We all want to win again.”

For Markstrom, it would be the first time; he has played in 31 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs but has never made it to the Final.

He’d like that to change.

And as opposed to when he left Florida 12 years ago, that’s a distinct possibility, something that wasn’t entirely the case back then.

“Obviously to be playing against this Florida Panthers team for the last half a decade and to see the progress, not only the team, but the whole organization,” Markstrom said. “When (owner) Vinnie Viola came into the team I left and then to see what they have done with the team is unbelievable to now be a part of that. Being traded here and having great conversations with (general manager) Bill Zito and (special adviser Roberto Luongo) and Robby Tallas, it gets your blood pumping a little bit. It’s a special feeling to be back in Florida where you’re drafted.”

It was where he played his first NHL game -- against the Devils -- on Jan. 23, 2011. It was the place he sat in the stands for Game 7 in the 2012 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against, again, the Devils, the Panthers falling 3-2 in double overtime.

And it was then, Florida's first playoff series after a 10-season drought, that Markstrom saw what could be there, the way the crowd embraced the team. It has only grown since, in ways he couldn’t have imagined.

Now, though, he’s back, and ready to ready to contribute to a team he believes can once again lift the Cup, something that’s becoming all the more pressing the deeper he gets into his career.

“I think when it comes down to it, especially when you turn 30 and you haven’t won or haven’t lifted the Cup, that’s what everyone dreams of,” Markstrom said. “For every year that goes, the chances get less and less. I know I still have a lot of good hockey left in me and I can’t wait to go out there and enjoy and play hockey with a great team and hopefully the rest is -- they’ve done it twice before, so they know how to do it.”