Revisiting the Original Markstrom Trade as He Returns to the Panthers

On March 4, 2014, the Florida Panthers and Vancouver Canucks agreed to a monumental deal that would bring back franchise icon Roberto Luongo to South Florida. The main attraction in return for Luongo was a young Swedish goalie named Jacob Markstrom, who was the Panthers’ second-round pick in 2008. Shawn Matthias also headed to Vancouver, while Steven Anthony went to the Panthers.

Jacob Markstrom

Markstrom spent parts of four seasons with the Panthers as a young up-and-coming goalie. In those seasons, he played 43 games, starting 38, and finished with 11 wins, 25 losses, and five overtime losses. He also held a .898 save percentage (SV%) and a 3.21 goals-against average (GAA). During the 2012–13 season, he played a career-high 23 games and came in 14th in Calder Trophy voting for Rookie of the Year.

As a Canuck, Markstrom played in 229 games and started 218 of those games. He finished with a record of 99 wins, 93 losses and 27 OTLs. During that run, he had a .913 SV% and a 2.73 GAA and also appeared in 14 playoff games.

He then went on to have stints with the Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils. He had a lengthy and relatively successful run with each team, and on June 30, 2026, the Devils traded Markstrom back to the Panthers with Angus Crookshank for forwards Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist and Ben Steeves.

Shawn Matthias

Matthias spent parts of seven seasons with the Panthers. In those seven seasons, he played 312 games, scoring 48 goals and adding 49 assists. He was also a minus-18 and racked up 109 penalty minutes. He also registered five shorthanded points throughout his time operating on the penalty kill.

Once Matthias went over to the Canucks, he spent parts of two seasons and appeared in 96 games. He scored 21 goals during his time there and registered an additional 13 assists. He also put up 28 penalty minutes. His 2014-15 season with the Canucks established his career high of 18 goals in 78 games.

To Florida

Roberto Luongo to Panthers 2.0

Luongo played parts of six seasons in his second stint in Florida, recording 122 wins and 87 losses and 12 shutouts in 255 games, including 247 starts. He also played in the All-Star Game twice during his run.

Luongo appeared on the Hart Trophy ballot once, coming in 15th in the 2015–16 season. He was also placed on the Vezina Trophy ballot twice, with a fourth-place finish in 2015–16 and a ninth-place finish in 2017–18. He finished 42nd in Lady Byng Trophy voting in both the 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons. He ranked fifth on the All-NHL Team for Goalies in the 2015–16 season and 10th in the 2017–18 season.

Luongo cemented his iconic status during his second run with the Panthers before joining the organization’s front office.

Steven Anthony

Anthony joined Luongo in the trade to South Florida. He was selected in the seventh round (187th overall) by the Canucks in the 2009 NHL Draft but never played an NHL game.

He had a successful career in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League with the Saint John Sea Dogs, including a Memorial Cup win in 2011, and then played parts of three seasons in the ECHL and Canadian Hockey League, including a career year in 2011–12 with eight goals and 12 assists in 34 games. He then had a brief tenure playing for the University of Windsor.

Markstrom and Luongo Back With the Panthers

Long after the trade settled and Markstrom is two stops removed from Vancouver, he is heading back to Florida, where he aims to backstop the team that houses a fellow member of this trade, Luongo, who now occupies a role in the organization’s front office. Markstrom is expected to be the Panthers’ starting goalie this season and is aiming to lead them back to playoff contention after Sergei Bobrovsky signed as a free agent with the Toronto Maple Leafs.