Jacob Markstrom Traded To New Jersey Devils

Jacob Markstrom Traded To New Jersey Devils

Jacob Markstrom is finally headed to the New Jersey Devils. After a trade fell apart before the trade deadline, the two sides got back together and hammered out a blockbuster. The former Vezina runner-up is a major upgrade in net for a Devils team that missed the playoffs for hapless goaltending. Frank Seravalli originally broke the news of a deal and of the return Tom Fitzgerald is parting with:

Once again, Jersey strikes in the trade market. After trading with Calgary last Summer for Tyler Toffoli, they reconvene and add a solid goaltender for a really good price. In case next season goes down the drain unexpectedly, they will still keep ahold of their first-rounder in all likelihood. Kevin Bahl is also not a bad piece. He’s a former second-round pick and only 23 years old. If Craig Conroy decides to keep tearing it down and moves blue liners out he will have reinforcements. Obviously, the Flames are in no position to contend as of now so retaining on the last two years of Markstrom’s deal does not really hurt them in all honesty.

Everyone knows that New Jersey has the horses to potentially be a force in the Eastern Conference. Jack Hughes is dynamite but needs to stay healthy. He’s got plenty of support in the form of Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Timo Meier. Health and defensive structure are their two main needs now. If Dougie Hamilton can stay on the ice and play like a #1 defenseman again they could very well find themselves back to winning in the playoffs. Remember, Sheldon Keefe is nothing else made Toronto a great regular season team and allowed his stars to produce. Assuming he does the same here the Devs are at minimum a top-three team in the Metro.

A Good Fresh Start

After a nightmarish 2022/2023, Markstrom had a solid bounceback season. Playing behind a mediocre Flames team he put up a .905 save percentage and 2.78 goals against average. Remember, he is only two years removed from an excellent season. He went 37-15-9 in 2021/2022 with a .922 save percentage and 2.22 goals against average. His play helped fuel one of the greatest Calgary teams in recent memory. The Swedish netminder lost out on the Vezina to Igor Shesterkin but Jersey is clearly banking on him to at least partially return to that level. At 34, he definitely wants to win and does not have a ton of time left to do so. This two-year window that he’s now in with Jersey means he could really reach new heights should the rest of the offseason go well.

After months of speculation, the Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils finally got the deal done. Jacob Markstrom is the new answer in net at the Prudential Center.

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