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Jacob Markstrom

Latest On Jacob Markstrom

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The Calgary Flames are trying to move former Vezina Trophy runner-up Jacob Markstrom as discretely as possible, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast. Friedman adds that the team was aware of the theatrics brought on by Markstrom’s trade rumors earlier this season. Markstrom publicly expressed his frustration with the team over his pre-Deadline speculation, amidst rumors of a pending move to the New Jersey Devils being reversed after Calgary went 9-3-0 throughout February. Markstrom posted a .928 save percentage while appearing in 10 games during the hot streak. He’d go on to post a measly .869 save percentage in 10 games following the strong stretch, floundering on a Flames lineup that went on to miss the postseason by 17 points.

The second half of season felt like an encapsulation of Markstrom’s play over the last few years – with dramatically up-and-down stretches culminating in a modest stat line. He posted 23 wins and a .905 save percentage in 48 games this year – finding the same number of wins and a stronger save percentage than he did last season, despite playing in 11 fewer games.

Markstrom has been a no-doubt starter for much of the last eight seasons, after joining the Vancouver Canucks in 2014 in the trade that sent Roberto Luongo to the Florida Panthers. Markstrom would make his first stand as a full-fledged starter in the 2017-18 season, posting 23 wins and a .912 save percentage in 60 appearances with Vancouver. He’s played in 40 or more games in every season since, totaling a .910 save percentage in 376 games. And while last season’s sub-.900 save percentage – and a tally this year that came close –  have caused some to pause, it’s hard to think Markstrom isn’t bound for the lion’s share of games with whoever he may suit up for next season.

That could be the New Jersey Devils, who have Markstrom as one of their top trade targets this summer, but Friedman notes they’re not the only teams involved. Friedman specifically named the Toronto Maple Leafs as a strong candidate for trade, largely thanks to Toronto now being manned by Brad Treliving, the general manager who signed Markstrom to the six-year, $36MM contract he’s currently on with the Flames. The price of a Markstrom trade could quickly test Toronto’s budget – especially as they approach a summer with just $18.83MM in cap space and 12 pending free agents. The Leafs are also woefully juxtaposed by a Devils team willing to move the 10th-overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft for lineup improvements. That offer could be tantalizing for a Calgary team looking for a breadth of young talent. At the very least, it’s an exciting bar in a goalie market that, per Friedman, has plenty of invested teams.

Jacob Markstrom, Linus Ullmark Are Devils’ Top Goalie Targets

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The Devils’ pursuit of a bonafide starting goaltender has been a dominant storyline for months and remains one of the few certainties of the summer. While there are more than a handful of qualified names on the trade block, the Flames’ Jacob Markström and the Bruins’ Linus Ullmark are the two likeliest names that New Jersey general manager Tom Fitzgerald would swing a deal for, sources told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic on Tuesday.

Fitzgerald also confirmed to reporters yesterday that he would make the Devils’ 2024 first-round pick, 10th overall, available in trade talks. In what’s viewed as a deep class of high-end talent, that pick could very well be enough to pry Markström or Ullmark away from their respective teams, although a low-to-medium-value asset may also be required.

The other big fish on the goalie trade market, 2022 Vezina Trophy nominee Juuse Saros, doesn’t appear likely. He’s only been connected to the Devils sparingly in recent weeks and wasn’t mentioned at all as an option for New Jersey in LeBrun’s reporting yesterday.

Markström and Ullmark are the elder statesmen of the group, but as such, could cost less to acquire than the sub-30 Saros. Ullmark finds himself in the conversation after throwing up a .924 SV% average over three seasons with the Bruins, but he’s only started more than half his team’s games in a season once. That was Boston’s record-setting 2022-23 campaign when he won the Vezina Trophy after recording a 40-6-1 record, .938 SV% and 1.89 GAA.

Markström’s numbers have been more inconsistent over the past few seasons, but he has a much longer track record of being a true starter. The 34-year-old Swede has started more than half his team’s games in each of the last seven years and is two years removed from a league-leading nine shutouts that helped him earn his only career Vezina nomination in 2022.

He’s coming off a verifiably above-average season, too, posting a .905 SV% and stopping 13.7 goals above expected (MoneyPuck) despite a .500 record. The other advantage is his contract – he’s got two seasons left at a $6MM cap hit compared to Ullmark, who’s only signed through next season.

Markström isn’t the higher-ceiling option, but he may be the safer one. He carries a full no-move clause, but multiple reports indicated he waived it for a move to New Jersey before this season’s trade deadline that ultimately fell through. LeBrun confirmed that notion yesterday.

Flames Notes: Markstrom, Weegar, Kylington, Pospisil

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In an article from Salim Valji of TSN, all signs indicate that goaltender Jacob Markstrom has played his last game as a member of the Calgary Flames. After almost being traded to the New Jersey Devils at this year’s trade deadline, the schism between Markstrom and the front office does not have evidence of it being an issue that can be rectified internally.

When asked where he envisioned himself next season, he bluntly responded, “I don’t know“. Not appreciating the idea of being a part of the inevitable retool of the Flames roster, Markstrom continued, “What I do know is I love winning hockey games. I think that’s the competitive side of me. Every time I lace up the skates, that’s something I want – to win hockey games“.

With the Devils maintaining their interest in acquiring Markstrom this offseason, his market may be more robust than just a singular disappointing team from this season. With each team preparing for next year at this moment, or at some point throughout the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, Markstrom’s market could extend to the Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, or the Philadelphia Flyers over the next couple of months.

Other Flames notes:

  • In somewhat of a malcontent response to Markstrom’s approach to the offseason, one player has no intentions of leaving Calgary any time soon. According to beat reporter Wes Gilbertson, defenseman MacKenzie Weegar not only wants to stay with the Flames organization but believes that the future is very exciting for this team. Finishing off the first season of an eight-year, $50MM extension with Calgary, Weegar was a boon to the Flames this season, scoring 20 goals and 52 points in all 82 games.
  • Another player who wishes to remain in southern Alberta is defenseman Oliver Kylington, who Daniel Sun of the Calgary Sun writes is hoping for an extension with the only organization he has ever known. After taking nearly a year and a half away from the game, Kylington was able to suit up in 33 games for Calgary, scoring three goals and eight points in the process. With a thinned-out defensive core from the trade deadline, the Flames should be amicable in bringing back Kylington for the next few seasons.
  • Now that Calgary’s season has come to an end, some players on the team may opt to join their respective international clubs for this summer’s rendition of the IIHF World Championship. Per a team announcement, forward Martin Pospisil will be doing just that, as the Flames announce he will be rostered on Team Slovakia for this year’s tournament. It will be the first time since the 2018-19 season that Pospisil has suited up for Team Slovakia in an international event, with the last coming during that year’s IIHF World Junior Championships.

West Notes: Myers, Lekkerimaki, Markstrom, Bjugstad

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Defenseman Tyler Myers is one of several Canucks veterans that are set to hit the open market in July and the team won’t be able to afford to keep all of them.  CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal reports (audio link) that the veteran has told his agent that he’d like to remain with Vancouver.  The 34-year-old is in his fifth season with the Canucks and while his $6MM price point is above market value, he’s still logging important minutes, especially on the penalty kill where he ranks second in shorthanded ATOI.  While a $6MM contract isn’t likely coming his way this summer, Myers should still command interest from several teams on a multi-year deal which should help land him a contract somewhat close to that price tag.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Still with Vancouver, while Canucks fans were likely hoping that top prospect Jonathan Lekkerimaki would join AHL Abbotsford for the stretch run, that might not be the case. In an interview with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription link), GM Patrik Allvin indicated that there is a possibility that the 19-year-old could play for Sweden at the Worlds in May.  In that case, they’d likely not bring Lekkerimaki to North America and let him vie for a spot on that team.  The 15th overall pick in 2022 had 31 points in 46 games with SHL Orebro this season.
  • Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom has missed the last week with a lower-body injury but it appears he won’t be out much longer. Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg relays (Twitter link) that the veteran netminder has resumed skating and a return to the lineup on Saturday versus Vancouver is possible.  The 34-year-old was featured prominently in trade speculation at the trade deadline thanks to a strong season that has seen him put up a 2.68 GAA and a .910 SV% in 41 games so far.
  • Coyotes center Nick Bjugstad is listed as day-to-day and his availability for Wednesday’s game against Dallas is uncertain, notes team reporter Patrick Brown (Twitter link). The 31-year-old has done well in his second stint in Arizona this season, collecting 17 goals along with 20 assists in 67 games so far.  The uncertainty over his availability is what resulted in Nathan Smith’s recall earlier today.

Devils Still Intend To Pursue Starting Goaltender During Offseason

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The Devils rebuilt their crease at the trade deadline, swapping out struggling starter Vítek Vaněček for Kaapo Kähkönen in a deal with the Sharks and acquiring Jake Allen from the Canadiens. Neither of their two pickups is a long-term solution as New Jersey continues to build around their young Jack Hughes-led core, though, and GM Tom Fitzgerald knows it. He plans to revisit his team’s uncertainty in the crease over the summer and will pursue a true starter in the process, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun wrote for The Athletic on Tuesday.

“The idea here is to try to finally reel in a stud goalie and have Allen there to create a 1A-1B situation,” LeBrun said. Allen has one season remaining at a $1.925MM cap hit, thanks to Montreal retaining half of his $3.85MM AAV in the trade.

All signs point to the Devils letting Kähkönen, who will be a UFA this summer after completing a two-year, $5.5MM deal, go to market. Fitzgerald said in his post-deadline media availability that the primary objective of the trade with San Jose was shedding Vaněček’s $3.4MM cap hit for this season and next.

A bonafide number-one netminder is Fitzgerald’s first choice, and he’s willing to surrender the assets to make it work. As such, LeBrun said New Jersey will re-engage in talks with the Flames and Predators regarding Jacob Markström and Juuse Saros, who could be on the move regardless of whether the Devils swing a deal for them.

The Devils attempted to acquire Markström, who has a no-move clause in his contract, before this year’s deadline. After talks initially fizzled out due to the Flames’ unwillingness to retain salary in a trade, Fitzgerald re-engaged with an offer that included New Jersey taking on all of Markström’s $6MM cap hit through 2026.

Markström reportedly waived his no-move clause to green-light the trade, but the Flames ended up not moving him as the team was making progress toward a wild-card spot in the Western Conference. This caused the goaltender to publicly voice his discontent with the Calgary front office. The Flames have lost all three games after the deadline, each by four or more goals, and now stand with just a 2.2% chance of making the playoffs, per MoneyPuck.

The Devils also talked with Nashville about Saros but didn’t get as far down the road. Unlike Markström, Saros will be a pending UFA beginning on July 1 and does not have trade protection. He also costs $1MM less than his Swedish counterpart.

If Fitzgerald swings for the fences on both and misses twice, it’s possible the Devils would still rather look for a tandem netminder to partner with Allen, keeping youngsters Nico Daws and Akira Schmid in the minors. Options on the UFA market will be slim, though – in fact, Kähkönen would be one of the better pickups if that’s how they opted to address their crease. Other top options are either on the precipice of decline (Marc-André Fleury, Cam Talbot) or have been inconsistent when given expanded roles (Kähkönen, Alex Nedeljkovic, Ilya Samsonov).

While Daws and Schmid are promising options and have more NHL games in their future, neither projects as a true starter. If New Jersey wants to truly kick off its window of contention with talents like Jack and Luke Hughes, Dawson Mercer and Simon Nemec, all 23 years old or less, they’ll need a more veteran presence as a longer-term answer.

Calgary Flames Recall Dustin Wolf, Jacob Markstrom Out With Injury

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The Calgary Flames have recalled top prospect goaltender Dustin Wolf from their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, per a team announcement. In the same announcement, the Flames disclosed that starting netminder Jacob Markstrom is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Today’s transaction will mark the fifth time this season that Calgary has recalled Wolf from the minors. Throughout those five emergency call-ups, Wolf has suited up in six games for the Flames, producing a 1-3-1 record with a .878 save percentage and a 3.91 goals-against average.

Much like last season, Wolf is producing much better at the AHL level, and could be on pace for back-to-back Aldege Bastien Memorial Award and Harry Holmes Memorial Award finishes. While the Wranglers compete for a playoff spot in the AHL’s Pacific Division, Wolf has produced a 20-11-3 record while maintaining a .923 SV% and 2.43 GAA.

Only a few weeks ago, some trade speculation surrounded Markstrom and the New Jersey Devils, indicating that Calgary may be ready to transition Wolf to the NHL full-time. Unfortunately for the young goaltender, no deal came to fruition, and he will likely need to wait for next season to become a full-time member of the Flames active roster.

Keeping on Markstrom, Calgary very publicly backed out of the reported trade with New Jersey due to his strong play in the net. Since January 17th, Markstrom has produced a 9-4-0 record in 13 games, making 340 saves on a total of 373 shots.

Trade Deadline Notes: Hanifin, Markstrom, Guentzel

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On yesterday evening’s rendition of ’Saturday Headlines’ on Sportsnet, Elliotte Friedman spoke at length about several rumblings across the league leading up to the trade deadline. One of the major discoveries presented by Friedman is that the Tampa Bay Lightning are the preferred landing spot for Calgary Flames’ defenseman Noah Hanifin and that he would be willing to discuss an extension.

The news comes shortly after a report suggested that the Florida Panthers were making a concerted push for Hanifin, which could simply be some rivalry gamesmanship on their part. At any rate, this report confirms that the Lightning are making a strong effort to fill in the void left by the injury to Mikhail Sergachev, and are not ready to cede the Atlantic Division to other up-and-coming teams in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.

An extension in Tampa Bay would be the most difficult part of any hypothetical transaction to acquire Hanifin, due to the Lightning only having around $10.85MM available to them in cap space this offseason, even with the salary cap set to rise to $87.7MM. If Tampa Bay is amicable to signing Hanifin at a deal they believe gives them solid value, General Manager Julien BriseBois may have to make a difficult choice between Hanifin, and pending unrestricted free agent forward Steven Stamkos this summer.

Other notes:

  • Friedman also noted some specifics regarding the trade speculation surrounding Flames’ goaltender Jacob Markstrom, and the details behind his public frustration with the organization. Markstrom was originally displeased with the front office due to them indicating they had a deal in place to send him to the New Jersey Devils but then reversed course due to the solid play of the team in recent weeks. Friedman reports that even if the Devils are unable to acquire Markstrom before March 8th, New Jersey would be more than happy to reignite trade talks with Calgary at the 2025 NHL Draft.
  • Lastly, Friedman confirmed that the Pittsburgh Penguins had set the asking price for forward Jake Guentzel at two prospects; not one prospect and a first-round pick. Friedman’s report comes a few days after President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas said to reporters that the Penguins’ primary focus at this year’s trade deadline would be to get younger overall. With several buyers not interested in parting with a first-round pick at this year’s trade deadline, the asking price for Guentzel may lead to a larger market for Pittsburgh to choose from.

West Notes: Markstrom, Oilers, Zuccarello, McCarron

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Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom is no stranger to the rumor mill having been prominently featured in trade speculation in recent weeks.  Evidently, he’s not particularly thrilled about that happening.  Speaking with reporters including Sportsnet’s Eric Francis, the veteran suggested that he isn’t happy with how things have gone on that front:

“Everyone in here I really respect everything that’s been going on, and not going on, and how everyone in this room has handled everything. I think it’s been really good. And then the whole situation and everything, am I happy about that? No, I’m not. I think it could have been handled a lot different from up top.”

With Calgary already having moved Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev, and Nikita Zadorov and the belief that Noah Hanifin will soon follow, many have wondered if Markstrom could follow suit, especially with several teams looking for help between the pipes.  But the Flames remain in a battle for a playoff spot with the 34-year-old being a big reason for that so it’s far from a guarantee that they’ll want to move him even if a team comes to the table.  However, how things have played out publicly when it comes to the trade speculation certainly appears to be a sore spot for Markstrom.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • Many eyes are on the Oilers as they look to augment their roster before the March 8th trade deadline. In an interview with Sportsnet’s Mark Spector, GM Ken Holland indicated that there are “lots of irons in the fire” as it pertains to trade discussions.  Holland typically makes a move or two each deadline and while cap space is limited for Edmonton, it wouldn’t be surprising for that to continue this season.  The Oilers have already made one move in recent weeks with the signing of Corey Perry who has five points in 13 games since joining them back in January.
  • The Department of Player Safety announced that they’ve fined Wild winger Mats Zuccarello and Predators winger Michael McCarron $2K each for unsportsmanlike conduct during the second period of Thursday’s game. Both players received minor penalties on the play.  The money from the fines goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Metropolitan Notes: Markström, Hurricanes, Capitals, Gruden

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The Devils added some bottom-six grit today by acquiring enforcer Kurtis MacDermid from the Avalanche. Still, GM Tom Fitzgerald is far from done ahead of the March 8 trade deadline. He remains aggressive in his pursuit for a goaltender and, with Predators starter Juuse Saros all but off the table thanks to Nashville’s recent hot streak, he’s refocused his attention on the Flames and Jacob Markström.

Calgary seems less inclined to move on from their star starter than earlier in the calendar year, but that hasn’t stopped New Jersey from continuing to engage. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports Friday that New Jersey has made it known they’re no longer asking the Flames to retain any salary on Markström in a potential deal, making a trade much more palatable for Calgary GM Craig Conroy, who’s made it clear in recent days he doesn’t want to be stuck with any more long-term salary commitments than necessary.

That still doesn’t likely solve all of New Jersey’s roadblocks in acquiring Markström, who carries a $6MM cap hit through 2026. The Flames’ unwillingness to take salary back means it’s highly unrealistic that they’d take Devils netminder Vítek Vaněček, who carries a $3.4MM cap hit through next season, back in a trade. That would pose significant cap issues for the Devils in 2024-25, as they have under $20MM in projected space with only 13 out of 23 roster spots filled. To make it work, they’d likely need to part with more assets to dump the last season of the struggling Vaněček’s deal in a separate trade.

Other notes out of the Metropolitan Division one week out from the deadline:

  • The Hurricanes continue to pursue forward help as their top priority over the next seven days, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports. That includes smaller-scale additions outside of their reported interest in Canucks star center Elias Pettersson, which could very well flame out as extension talks between him and Vancouver continue. A quick scan of their forward group makes it clear they’d prefer to add a center above all else. 24-year-old Jack Drury is currently holding down the second line between Michael Bunting and Martin Nečas and, while he’s taken a step forward this season, still has only 26 points in 60 games – not at all the production you’d envision from the second-line center on a Stanley Cup-contending team.
  • All three of the Capitals’ questionable players for tonight’s practically do-or-die game against the Flyers will be in the lineup, head coach Spencer Carbery said (via Tom Gulitti of NHL.com). Tom Wilson (personal leave), Nick Jensen (lower body), and Sonny Milano (illness) had all missed recent practices or games. Wilson returns to a top-line role alongside Alex Ovechkin while youngster Hendrix Lapierre gets a chance down the middle between them, while Milano, who’s struggled to stay healthy with 11 points in 27 games this year, occupies a second-line role alongside Max Pacioretty and Dylan Strome. Jensen returns to his normal role, anchoring the team’s second pairing behind John Carlson.
  • The Penguins have recalled left-winger Jonathan Gruden for the second time in the past two days, per a team announcement. The 23-year-old was brought up under emergency conditions before yesterday’s loss to the Kraken but did not play, and was briefly returned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton over the night. He’s skated in five NHL games this year, going without a point while averaging 7:20 per game.

Devils Notes: Markström, Merzļikins, Smith, Hatakka

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Reporting in recent days from both Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli has illustrated just how close the Devils were to acquiring goaltender Jacob Markström from the Flames in a pre-deadline blockbuster. Speaking on Monday’s episode of the “32 Thoughts” podcast, Friedman said the teams were close in principle on a trade but could not reconcile with each other on the financial aspect of the deal. The Devils remained firm on Calgary retaining some of Markström’s $6MM cap hit – something first-year GM Craig Conroy isn’t willing to do over the remaining three seasons of Markström’s deal.

Seravalli added Tuesday that discussions were serious enough to “get to [Markström]’s level to approve it,” a necessary step since he boasts a no-movement clause in his contract. With the two parties at an impasse that Seravalli thinks “probably” can’t be revisited, New Jersey GM Tom Fitzgerald will likely look elsewhere to upgrade his goaltending with 23 days until the trade deadline.

As the Devils look for a cheaper option, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes said Tuesday that they’ve had interest in Blue Jackets starter Elvis Merzļikins. It’s not a gigantic discount, though, as Merzļikins’ $5.4MM cap hit is only $600K less than Markström’s and runs through 2027. The 29-year-old Latvian has had an underrated bounce-back season, posting a .904 SV% and 1.3 goals saved above expected in 29 games, per MoneyPuck. While he and Markström both have inconsistent track records over a five-year sample, the latter’s peaks have been much higher – Markström’s 18.4 goals saved above expected this season have him on track for a third top-five Vezina Trophy voting finish in the last five years.

Still, either would be a massive upgrade on what Vítek Vaněček has done for them this season. His -11.1 goals saved above expected are second-worst in the league and the worst among starters for prospective playoff teams. Only Ottawa’s Joonas Korpisalo has performed worse overall relative to shot quality, saving -11.9 goals above expected. The Devils, who are 5-4-1 in their past ten games, are now at full health for the first time in weeks and sit two points back of the Red Wings for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, a gap that can easily be closed with improved play between the pipes.

In much lower-stakes news, the Devils assigned defenseman Santeri Hatakka to AHL Utica on Tuesday to make room for veteran Brendan Smith, who was activated off injured reserve and returned to the lineup in yesterday’s 4-2 win over the Predators. Hatakka, 23, had shown promising results with two assists and a +7 rating in seven showings but was a casualty of roster management as he did not require waivers to head to the minors. A pending RFA upon completion of his entry-level contract, the 2019 sixth-round pick of the Sharks will remain near the top of New Jersey’s list for blue-line call-ups for the rest of the season.

Smith, 35, made his return after missing 10 games with a knee sprain. The pending UFA had three shots on goal in 17:27 of ice time against Nashville, his 35th game of the season. The 6-foot-2 enforcer has averaged 14:30 per game this year while flipping between defense and wing, recording a goal and five points with a +2 rating.

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