NHL Trade Grades for Devils-Panthers Jacob Markstrom-Evan Rodrigues Deal

The goaltending musical chairs have stopped at a critical moment. The New Jersey Devils are sending goaltender Jacob Markstrom to the Florida Panthers. It's a big change to the makeup of the Panthers, who had already responded to a wasted season with the additions of Brady Tkachuk and (presumably) free agent Radko Gudas.

The secondary and tertiary effects of this move will permeate through the goaltending market. Future Hall-of-Famer Sergei Bobrovsky is done in Florida. His contract officially ends on Wednesday. Where will he play next season?

Plus, New Jersey is now left with Jake Allen and Nico Daws in net. Are they self-assured with that duo entering the 2026-27 season? Or are the Devils now entering the goaltending fracas?

Let's grade the trade for both the Panthers and Devils

Florida Panthers

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Welcome back, Jacob Markstrom.

In 2008, the Panthers drafted him 31st overall. In 2024, they traded him, then 23, to the Vancouver Canucks as part of Roberto Luongo's return to Florida. Now Markstrom himself returns 14 years later.

Markstrom was once seen as one of the league's premier goaltenders and the solution to years of issues in goal for New Jersey, so it's a statement that the Devils are moving him to Florida before his new contract ($6 million cap hit through 2028) even begins.

Markstrom endured a below-average season in 2025-26, giving up 2.12 goals above expected in 44 games, per Evolving Hockey. That doesn't tell the full story. Markstrom specifically let in a number of low percentage goals last season. The type that makes it hard for a coach to instill defensive structure in the group, as the most succssful defensive zone systems rely on taking away the critical danger and relying on the goaltender to make saves on the shots he can see.

Markstrom will be 37 next January and the 6'6" goaltender has made a career of being athletic relative to his size. It's fair to ask how much athleticism he has at an advanced at for a goaltender. Especially given a long list of injuries the last three seasons. Markstrom has not started 50-plus games since 2022-23.

Despite all of that, Markstrom is still a much better investment than Sergei Bobrovsky. Or at least he is less of a liability than an asset. Bobrovsky, who turns 38 in September, reportedly wanted a deal worth $42 million over six or seven seasons. The Panthers would have been paying for nostalgia. Bobrovsky also put up subpar numbers last season without a major workload. Almost no goaltenders age well into their late-30s, let alone early-40s.

The Panthers are banking on Markstrom recovering some form on a team that presumably will give up fewer shots and ask a lower workload from him. At worst, they'll be able to move on from his one-year, $6 million contract next summer if need be. That's a lot better than millstone Bobrovsky's next contract will inevitably become.

Grade: B-

New Jersey Devils

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The Jacob Markstrom addition (and contract extension) was well-intended. Sometimes, life just doesn't work out.

His play dipped last season. He did not provide the stability the Devils needed in net as they worked out some defensive kinks. Injuries put him on the shelf for the last couple of seasons more often than the team could accept from a highly paid starting goaltender. Markstrom's new two-year, $12 million contract was set to kick in Wednesday with a 20-team no-trade clause for the 2026-27 season.

New GM Sunny Mehta, who did not provide Markstrom with that contract, decided to get out of it before it began. The risk for an underperforming 37-year-old with an injury history and a $6 million cap hit was not worth it.

Given that, it would have been fair enough if the Devils had simply punted Markstrom to Florida in order to wipe their hands of the risk. Mehta got a very nice return here considering the circumstances.

Evan Rodrigues is close to the ideal third-liner for a competitive hockey team. He's a two-way forward who plays well in different systems and can change his style to match the abilities of linemates. He'll tilt the ice in a depth role, but he is talented enough to jump into the top-six if necessary for line jumbling, matchups, or injuries. He thrives at both center and wing. Rodrigues has been a consistent 40-point forward in the NHL, and last season had 31 in 69 games. The Devils' forward depth has hurt them in seasons past.

Rodrigues' $3.1 million cap hit this season is more than fair, and he'll either be a good piece for a Devils playoff run or a valuable asset at the trade deadline as a rental.

Jesper Boqvist, a former Devils draft pick, is a fourth-line forward. He is purely valuable as a defensive winger, but he is a strong penalty killer, and his $1.5 million cap hit for 2026-27 is fine.

The question remaining is whether the Devils are now in the goaltending market. Jake Allen is a reliable NHL goaltender, but is best served getting 30-40 starts per season. He has notoriously struggled in a true starter's role. Nico Daws has done well in spot starts, but the Devils, who need to rebound in the peak of Jack Hughes' and Nico Hischier's window, may want more certainty at the position.

We'll have to wait and see what happens in net. For now, they unload a potential problem, save a little over $1.4 millon in cap space for 2026-27, and add a strong, versatile forward in Rodrigues.

Grade: A-