Panthers acquire Markstrom, Crookshank from Devils for Rodriques, Boqvist, Steeves
Sunny Mehta is dipping back into his old team’s arsenal, while a veteran netminder is returning home.
On Tuesday, the Florida Panthers re-acquired goaltender Jacob Markstrom, along with forward Angus Crookshank, from the New Jersey Devils. In exchange, the Devils received forwards Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist and Ben Steeves.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the trade.
This is the first time Mehta has made a deal with his former boss, Panthers general manager Bill Zito, since Mehta was hired as the Devils’ new GM.
This deal is notable for multiple reasons, mainly because it signals that the Panthers are ready to move on from netminder Sergei Bobrovsky. The Russian netminder is at the end of his big seven-year contract, and, despite leading the team to Stanley Cups in 2024 and 2025, the organization seems poised to move on from the 37-year-old.
Markstrom is returning to where it all started for him. The Swedish backstop began his career with the Panthers, the team that took him in the second round, 31st overall, of the 2008 NHL Draft. He played parts of four seasons with Florida before being traded to the Vancouver Canucks in 2014 as part of the Roberto Luongo deal.
It wasn’t until Markstrom signed with the Calgary Flames that he reached stardom, leading the team to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2022, the year he was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy. However, he has since had a series of mediocre seasons. Even after he was traded to the Devils in the summer of 2024, with the team reaching the postseason in his first year, Markstrom is far from the level that earned him a $6 million contract six years ago.
The 36-year-old is about to enter the first year of a two-year contract extension that he signed this past October. The deal also has a cap hit of $6 million, with a modified no-trade clause in each year.
In 578 regular-season games in the NHL, Markstrom has a record of 264-231-54, with a 2.73 goals-against average, a .907 save percentage and 25 shutouts. In the playoffs, he’s 14-17, with a 2.88 GAA, a .911 SV% and two shutouts.
Crookshank has spent most of his pro career in the American Hockey League, but has seen time with both the Devils and Ottawa Senators. This past season, he scored one goal in eight games with New Jersey, but potted 24 goals and 36 points with the Utica Comets, the Devils’ top farm team. In 29 career games in the NHL, the 26-year-old has scored three goals and five points.
Crookshank has one more year on his two-year contract that he signed in July 2025, with the deal carrying a cap hit of $850,000 this coming season.
Rodrigues was a huge part of the Panthers’ runs to back-to-back championships, providing depth down the middle and secondary scoring in the playoffs. Since signing with the Panthers in 2023, the Toronto native has reached 30 points in each season, even scoring 31 in just 69 appearances in 2025-26. In both of the Cats’ runs to the Cup, Rodrigues posted 15 points, including seven goals in the spring of 2024.
In 616 regular-season appearances in the NHL, Rodrigues has posted 107 goals and 163 assists for 270 points, with another 41 points in 61 postseason affairs.
The 32-year-old has one more year on his four-year deal that he signed with Florida three years ago, with an AAV of $3.075 million.
This is also a return for Boqvist, who played for the Devils from the 2019-20 season until 2023. He came to the Panthers on a one-way contract in July 2024, and was a solid depth player for a team that went on to win a second straight Stanley Cup. After scoring 23 points in his first season with the club, he notched four goals and 13 points in 73 games this past year. In 387 career regular-season contests, the 27-year-old has posted 50 goals and 55 assists for 105 points, with six points in 27 postseason contests.
Boqvist has one more year on his two-year contract that he signed in March 2025, which has a cap hit of $1.5 million.
Steeves has never played in the NHL, but has been a solid piece with the Charlotte Checkers, the Panthers’ primary affiliate. After helping the team each the Calder Cup Final in 2025, the former Minnesota Duluth star set career highs in goals (23), assists (22), and points (45) in 72 games this past year. Steeves is a restricted free agent after completing his two-year, entry-level contract.