The Florida Panthers will have two new goaltenders when the season begins this fall.
Jacob Markstrom, who was recently acquired from the New Jersey Devils, spoke to the media Thursday morning for the first time since being traded to the team this week.
Markstrom, who replaces two-time Stanley Cup champion goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, connected with WPTV anchor and Panthers 360 host Mike Trim.
Originally drafted by the Cats in 2008, Markstrom's also been a teammate of Matthew Tkachuk in Calgary and an Olympic teammate of Florida defenseman Gustav Forsling for Sweden in the Milan Olympics.
After he was traded, Markstrom said he reached out to those players.
"I talked to Forsling, I talked to Chucky. A bunch of guys have texted and reached out if I need anything. It's a good feeling when you go to a new team, and you played with two guys both on national teams and up in Calgary with Chucky," Markstrom said.
Markstrom played his first four seasons of his NHL career with the Panthers.
He told reporters he's aware Bobrovsky was a Panther great but isn't adding any pressure on himself.
"When the puck drops, you just try to stop as many shots as you can and keep the puck out of the net. Not try to overdo it, not try to add any extra pressure of what happened in the past. I think ... everyone that's there wants the same thing; we all want to win again," said Markstrom.
The 36-year-old goalie signed a two-year, $12 million contract with the Panthers with an average annual value of $6 million.
For his career, Markstrom is 264-231-64 with a 2.73 goals-against average and .907 save percentage with 25 shutouts in 578 regular-season games for the Panthers, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils.
Before the interview, Markstrom said he just got off the phone with the maker of his goalie mask, and fans should expect an interesting design this upcoming season.
Helping Markstrom mind the net for the Panthers during the 2026-27 season will be Akira Schmid, who Florida traded for this week, shipping a 2028 third-round pick to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Panthers preseason games start Sept. 20 at Amerant Bank Arena with the team taking on the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.