FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Jacob Markström knows talent. That's why, in 2013, he tossed the keys to his Range Rover to a Florida Panthers rookie who needed to borrow a car for his driving test.
The rookie was Aleksander Barkov.
“I figured he’s probably going to make a lot of money because I saw him saw him in practice and he looked pretty darn good," Markström said. "I figured if he crashes the car, he can buy me a new one.”
Markstrom was right on
all counts. Barkov didn't crash the car, wound up passing the test, became a highly paid superstar for the Panthers and has been largely obsessed with nice cars ever since. But he and Markström didn't stay teammates for long; they shared the ice for only 12 games before Markström got moved to Vancouver in the deal that returned Roberto Luongo to Florida.
Now, it's Markström's turn to take a big test. The 36-year-old is back in Florida, presumably taking over as the primary goaltender and filling the spot that Sergei Bobrovsky — who was in net for the Panthers' Stanley Cup championship runs in 2024 and 2025 — vacated when he decided to sign with Toronto this summer.
It's been made clear to Markström that he doesn't need to be Bobrovsky. Being himself should be plenty.
“We had some fun moments that first season when he was here," Barkov said. "I think he’s an unbelievable goalie. Big goalie, too. Covers a lot of the net, and he competes a lot. He's out there competing, practicing every single day, doesn’t give up on any pucks. That’s really good.”
Florida got Markström in a trade with the New Jersey over the summer, ushering in the end of Bobrovsky’s storied run in South Florida. The Panthers gave up Evan Rodrigues — who played a huge role in Florida winning Game 7 of the 2024 Cup Final against Edmonton — and Jesper Boqvist in the deal, meaning it wasn't exactly a nominal price.
“Jacob is an established veteran leader in this league who possesses size and a relentless drive to win,” Panthers general manager Bill Zito said when the trade happened.
The 6-foot-6 Markström is going into his 17th season. Among goalies who are expected to play this season, only Bobrovsky (806), Connor Hellebuyck (625) and Andrei Vasilevskiy (598) have appeared in more games than Markström (578).
The glaring hole on Markström's resume is clear: He has never made a deep playoff run. He played in the 2020, 2022 and 2025 postseasons, but has yet to be part of a team that got past the second round.
Florida clearly has higher aspirations. That's one of many reasons why Markström wanted to be back.
“I think the expectations are as high as anywhere else," Markström said. “Everyone here has won, and they've won multiple times. They know what it takes to win and to be successful. And just walking into the gym and walking into the locker room, you can feel it. That’s a good thing to have in a locker room around the guys and the team.”
That might not have been the case in his first stint with the Panthers, which ended when he was traded in 2014 to Vancouver for Luongo, the Florida legend who remains with the team as part of the front office.
Markström appeared in 43 games with Florida over those years; the team won only 11 of them. Attendance for Panthers games was near the bottom of the NHL, even with what appeared to be some generous counting procedures. The team wasn't good, and worse, it seemed like a new rumor regarding relocation — Seattle or Quebec City were the purported targets — would pop up every week.
It's all very different now. The Panthers nearly filled their building for a preseason game a few days ago and once the puck drops for real will be one of the hottest tickets in hockey. The team practices in a state-of-the-art palace in downtown Fort Lauderdale, a far cry from the rather pedestrian facility that the Panthers used to call their off-day home. And best of all, the team is good. Maybe great.
“I’ve just been super impressed with what the team and the organization and (owner) Vinnie Viola has done to this franchise," Markström said. "It’s really impressive and playing against this team for the last decade or so, you can see it every year, taking steps to become a better and better team, then getting to three finals in four years and two Stanley Cups. To be here and to be part of something new and a really hungry group. I’m just super excited. It's a privilege and it is an honor to be back.”
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