Markstrom, 31, posted a 3.07 goals-against average and .883 save percentage in 44 games this past season. He has spent the last two seasons with the Devils after being traded to New Jersey by the Calgary Flames in June 2024.
The Swedish netminder will be entering the first of a two-year contract with a $6-million cap hit. His previous deal featured a full no-movement clause, while his new one has a 20-team no-trade list in the first year and a five-team no-trade list in the second.
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Now, he returns to the organization that kickstarted his career when it drafted him in the second round in 2008. Markstrom went on to play parts of four seasons with Florida before a trade to the Vancouver Canucks.
Over 578 career NHL games with the Devils, Flames, Canucks and Panthers, Markstrom owns a 2.73 goals-against average and .907 save percentage.
The Panthers were looking for a new starter with Sergei Bobrovsky expected to test the free-agent market. According to Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos, Bobrovsky, who turns 38 in September, could seek a new contract “as high as $42 million over six or seven years.”
Florida will also get Crookshank, a 26-year-old centre who scored once in eight games with the Devils last season. He previously played 21 games over two seasons with the Ottawa Senators.
Rodrigues has spent the past three seasons with the Panthers, helping the team win back-to-back Stanley Cups. The 32-year-old had 11 goals and 31 points in 69 games last season.
Boqvist, 27, was with Florida the past two seasons, putting up 16 goals and 20 assists over 151 games. He added two goals and three assists over 13 post-season appearances during the Panthers’ 2025 Stanley Cup run.
Steeves, a 24-year-old forward, has yet to make his NHL debut. He recorded 23 goals and 22 assists in 77 games with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers last season.
Earlier this week, the Panthers also acquired Akira Schmid from the Vegas Golden Knights to revamp their goaltending depth.
The Markstrom deal marks the first trade Devils general manager Sunny Mehta has made with his former team since being hired in April.
