When the Florida Panthers selected Markstrom in the second round (No. 31) of the 2008 NHL Draft, they were convinced he could not only be a starter, but a star in the NHL.

At 6-foot-6 and 196 pounds, Markstrom had the size scouts dream of, and he also had great intuition and reflexes. Two seasons later he led the Swedish Hockey League in goals-against average (2.01) and save percentage (.927).

The Panthers signed him to an entry-level contract on June 1, 2010, and he made his NHL debut on Jan. 23, 2011, against the New Jersey Devils. After one game Markstrom was sent down to Rochester of the American Hockey League to gain experience, but injured his knee and needed surgery.

Over the next three seasons, the goalie many considered the best playing outside the NHL made 46 appearances for the Panthers while putting up encouraging numbers for San Antonio of the AHL.

On March 4, 2014, Markstrom was traded to the Vancouver Canucks for the player tagged to be Florida's new No. 1 goaltender, Roberto Luongo.

In Vancouver, the surroundings were new but the challenges were very familiar. After failing to unseat Eddie Lack as No. 2 to veteran Ryan Miller, Markstrom found himself back in the AHL again, this time with Utica. But the Canucks traded Lack to the Carolina Hurricanes on June 27, 2015, which gave Markstrom the opportunity he long sought.

In 2015-16 he played 33 games for the Canucks, winning 13, and had a 2.73 GAA and a .915 save percentage. He signed a three-year contract extension on July 7, 2016.

At the 2009 World Junior Championship, Markstrom was spectacular as he led Sweden to a silver medal with a 1.61 GAA and .943 save percentage and was named the tournament's top goaltender.