When Scott Clemmensen went in for a minor knee procedure, it opened the door for Tyler Plante and Jacob Markstrom to compete for the temporary job as the backup goalie to Jose Theodore in Florida.
With both Plante and Markstrom being former second round picks by the Panthers, it was a battle between prospects with different expectations as Plante is three years older than Markstrom and Markstrom being marked as the future golden boy for the Panthers organization.
With all that said, the temporary backup job goes to... Jacob Markstrom. Tyler Plante was placed on waivers for the purpose of sending him to the AHL meaning that Markstrom will start the year with the new look Panthers and back up Theodore. Markstrom will likely get to start one or two games before Clemmensen makes his return to action so this isn’t exactly earth-shattering news.
Still for Markstrom, he’ll get the chance to show coach Kevin Dineen and GM Dale Tallon what he’s learned during the offseason. He got the chance to start in one game late last season for Florida giving up two goals and taking a loss against Tampa Bay. If Markstrom plays impressively, he’ll head back to San Antonio giving the Panthers a lot to think about going forward. Markstrom will need a lot of action again this year to get his game into form but earning the win over Plante in camp means good things for him as he evolves into an eventual NHL starting goalie.