SoFla Guide Editors
The Florida Panthers just lost their starting goalie to a puck at practice, of all things. Jacob Markstrom is expected to miss 10 to 14 days with an upper-body injury, NHL.com reported, and the team has called up 6-foot-8 Cooper Black from the minors to help fill the crease. If you like your goalies extra large, this is your moment.
What happened to Markstrom
According to NHL.com, Markstrom was struck by a puck during practice on Monday. Head coach Paul Maurice announced the injury and the 10 to 14 day timeline on Tuesday, October 20.
It’s a freak way to go down. Goalies spend their whole careers getting pelted by pucks on purpose, and this one found a spot that will keep him off the ice for a chunk of October and possibly into November.
The timing stings, because Markstrom had been doing his job. Before the injury, he had a 3-1-1 record in six games this season with a 2.21 goals-against average, a .897 save percentage and one shutout, NHL.com reported.
He’s also still pretty new around here, at least in this stint. Reuters, via Field Level Media, reported that Florida acquired Markstrom from the New Jersey Devils in a five-player trade on June 30, 2026. The Panthers got Markstrom and Angus Crookshank, while Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist and Ben Steeves headed to New Jersey. The deal brought the 36-year-old back to the franchise that originally drafted him in 2008.
Meet Cooper Black, the very tall call-up
The Panthers officially recalled Black from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers on October 20, according to the team’s announcement on NHL.com.
Here’s the quick scouting report from that announcement: Black is 25, stands 6-foot-8, and signed with Florida as an undrafted free agent in 2024. The Panthers liked what they saw enough to re-sign him to a two-year, two-way contract extension on June 8, 2026. He’s from Alpena, Michigan, and came to the organization out of Dartmouth College.
Six-foot-8. In a hockey net. Shooters looking for daylight over his shoulder are going to need a ladder.
He arrives playing well. In three AHL games with Charlotte this season, Black went 2-1-0 with a 2.67 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage, the team’s announcement said. That includes a 33-save performance in a 4-2 win over Hartford on Saturday, October 18. Last season he went 25-13-4 with a 2.47 GAA and a .903 save percentage in a career-high 42 AHL games for Charlotte.
Second time’s the charm?
If Black’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he was just here. This is his second call-up of the 2026-27 season, according to NHL.com. He was with Florida from October 13 to 16 but did not appear in a game.
That first trip came after Markstrom briefly left a game against the Buffalo Sabres on October 13. Black was loaned back to Charlotte on October 16 without getting into an NHL game. Now he’s back in South Florida less than a week later.
So the big question for Panthers fans: does he finally get the crease? Black has yet to appear in an NHL game, and this recall could put him in position to change that while Markstrom heals. Nothing about a start has been announced, though, so keep an eye on the Panthers’ official channels for lineup news.
What it means for the Panthers
For a team coached by Maurice, who led Florida to the Stanley Cup championship on June 24, 2024, a short-term goalie injury isn’t the end of the world. But 10 to 14 days is long enough for the crease to matter.
The angle for fans is simple. If Black gets the call, it’s a big moment for a young goalie who went undrafted, earned a contract, and kept stacking AHL wins. His numbers in Charlotte this season suggest he’s arriving with some rhythm, and that 33-save night against Hartford came just days before the recall.
What happens next comes down to Markstrom’s recovery and how the Panthers handle the net in the meantime. If the timeline holds, Florida’s starter should be back on the ice within about two weeks.
Until then, South Florida gets a look at what might be the tallest storyline in the building. Here’s hoping the puck finds Black’s pads and not anybody else’s ribs at practice.
