Florida Panthers Training Camp Preview: The Goaltenders

When the Florida Panthers open their season on Sept. 29 at Carolina, fans will zero on on some new faces.

As the puck drops to start the season, faithful fans will surely hold their breath with every move of returning captain Aleksander Barkov (no, he's not new to the team, but the year he missed due to an injured knee might seem an eternity since he's skated for the Panthers in a regular season game).

And of course the long awaited debut of Brady Tkachuk -- also a captain of his former team -- will draw the gaze of any fan looking for more offense from last year's injury-riddled and underachieving team.

These fresh faces will patrol all facets of the ice, but another new Panther is responsible for one thing -- the net.

The Panthers are betting that newly acquired Jacob Markstrom -- in his second stint with the team -- will match (or come close) to the prowess of departing two-time Stanley Cup winning and future Hall of Famer goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.

Bobrovsky, turning 38 on Sept. 20, is coming off his worst statistical year (career-worst .877 save percentage and goals against average an un-Bobrovsky-like 3.07). He did, in his defense, play behind a decimated defense that only played their full compliment in a handful of games due to a slew of injuries.

Let's talk about that. In addition to Barkov and others up front, the defense is healthy again. A top four made up of Gustav Forsling, Aaron Ekblad, Niko Mikkola and Seth Jones are all at full strength after several stints on the disabled list in 2025-26. Also back to health is Dmitry Kulikov. He is accompanied by 36-year-old big man Radko Gudas, who re-joins the Panthers after a stint as captain of the Anaheim Ducks.

A bolstered, rested and healthy defensive front could give Markstrom the edge he needs to compete at a level worthy of a departed two-time Veniza winner in Bobrovsky. It will also assist new backup goalie Akira Schmid, who came over from Las Vegas via trade.

But it's not just the void of Bobrovsky's goaltending that Markstrom and Schmid have to try and fill. It's his leadership.

Here's Barkov on how he respected Bobrovsky as a teammate when he lamented the goalie's departure to Toronto:

- - There's no one like him. The way he was here for seven seasons, it's incredible. He was that type of guy you look up to every day. He works three time more than I do -- maybe I should do something about it.

Apr 4, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) looks on against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Alberti-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Markstrom, 36, brings more than 500 games of experience from New Jersey. The Panthers selected him in the second round of the 2008 draft. In an interview with Dan LeBatard, Markstrom spoke about how much more popular the Panthers are in South Florida since his early days here. But the fans aren't the only thing that's changed for the seasoned goaltender who the Panthers traded away to Vancouver in 2014.

"So I think the toolbox is a lot bigger, and I've got a lot more tools in it now that when I was here," Markstrom said on the LeBatard show. "I came in with an empty suitcase, and now it's full."

The Panthers are hoping Markstrom, a former finalist for the Veniza trophy, has enough tricks in that toolbox -- and enough dexterity and stealth at the net -- to fill the Bobrovsky void.

Add us as a preferred source on Google