FORT LAUDERDALE — The Florida Panthers signed backup goalie Akira Schmid to a two-year contract worth $2 million per season, avoiding an arbitration hearing that had been scheduled for Aug. 1 in Toronto, Florida Hockey Now reported.
The deal settles a goaltending carousel that has churned through backups for seven seasons. Schmid, 26, pairs with Jacob Markstrom, whom the Panthers acquired from New Jersey roughly 12 hours after trading with Vegas for Schmid. Markstrom begins a two-year contract extension he signed with the Devils this season, giving Florida both netminders locked in through the same window.
Schmid made 29 starts for the Vegas Golden Knights last season, posting a 16-10-6 record with a 2.59 goals-against average and .893 save percentage. He filed for arbitration days after the trade to Florida.
The signing also delivers meaningful salary cap relief. With Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov, the Panthers carried a shade over $11 million in goaltending costs against the cap last season. With Markstrom and Schmid, that number drops to $8 million.
Bobrovsky served as the Panthers’ starter since 2019, cycling through a long list of backups: Chris Driedger, Alex Lyon, Jonas Johansson, Anthony Stolarz, Vitek Vanacek, Spencer Knight, and Tarasov. Knight is now the starter in Chicago, while Stolarz has been reunited with Bobrovsky in Toronto. Tarasov, who started 31 games for Florida last season, landed in Detroit on a one-year, $2 million deal.
NHL free agency opened July 1, and the Panthers’ roster moves have been aggressive. The club’s rookie camp and tournament are set for late August or early September, with training camp to follow in Fort Lauderdale. Florida opens its preseason Sept. 20 against the Carolina Hurricanes, plays its 2026-27 regular season opener at Carolina on Sept. 29 at 5 p.m. on ESPN, and hosts the Minnesota Wild for the home opener Oct. 10 at 6 p.m.