Florida Panthers Call up Goalie Cooper Black from Charlotte

The Florida Panthers made a move Tuesday to solidify their shaky situation in net by calling up goaltender Cooper Black from their AHL affiliate the Charlotte Checkers.

Florida called up Black ahead of their game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. Top goaltender Jacob Markstrom left Monday's 5-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres with what head coach Paul Maurice described as "tightness". Markstrom left the Buffalo game after allowing two goals on 11 shots, while backup Akira Schmid did not fare much better.

Schmid gave up three goals while facing 21 shots against the Sabres and will likely be back in net against Columbus. Starting Schmid on a back-to-back against the Blue Jackets was a strong possibility even if Markstrom was one-hundred percent.

The Panthers enter the game with a 2-2-2 record in what has been a grueling start to the season, with five of their first six games on the road. Schmid has struggled with a 4.14 goals-against average and .868 save percentage and a 0-1-1 record so far this season. The call up of Black gives Maurice another prototype goalie in stature to backup Schmid.

At six-foot-eight and 223 pounds, the 25 year-old goaltender fits the mold that the Panthers organization likes in net. Black signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Panthers through the 2027-28 season, carrying an $875k cap hit.

Black is coming off an excellent season with Charlotte, posting a 25-13-4 record with a 2.47 goals-against-average and .903 save percentage. In the preseason Black played well against Tampa Bay while facing their top players including Nikita Kucherov, Brandon Hagel, and Victor Hedman.

With the inconsistency of Schmid and the exact health status of Jacob Markstrom a slight concern, the call up of Black gives the Panthers a solid third option in net. The Panthers are in need of a win against a Blue Jackets team they have absolutely owned with nine wins in their last ten meetings since the 2023 season.

Florida finally got the power play going in the last game, but the defensive group has been disappointing so far, and the injuries to star forwards Sasha Barkov and Brad Marchand have put a damper on what was supposed to be a strong start after a difficult 2025-26 season.

As Paul Maurice continues to shuffle through line combinations to compensate for the absences, Florida will need to get stingier on the defensive side to stay in games until its other veteran scorers get going.