Jacob Markstrom has been the subject of rumors suggesting a trade from the Calgary Flames as the Trade Deadline arrives. It’s been reported however by David Pagnotta and Anthony Di Marco from TheFourthPeriod that the 34-year-old Swedish goaltender will be staying in Calgary and won’t be moved at the deadline.
The New Jersey Devils were seen as the ideal suitor for Markstrom as their goaltending woes have been a major reason why the Devils have fallen short of expectations this season. As earlier reports mentioned, The Flames and Devils were in fact having a series of discussions regarding a trade involving Markstrom but ultimately the deal fell through. It was suggested however that talks had the potential to pick up again closer to the Trade Deadline. Pagnotta adds that Tom Fitzgerald and the Devils did reach out to the Flames to restart trade talks. Ultimately, the Flames informed them that Markstrom was staying with the team for the rest of this season.
The Flames state that keeping Markstrom will “send the right message to the team.” It’s unknown what this message indicates exactly. The Flames may still believe playoffs are possible, with the team hunting for a wildcard spot in the west.
Could the Flames Revisit a Markstrom Trade in the Offseason?
The Flames may have kept Markstrom with the intention of trading him in the offseason. He has two more seasons under his contract after this one which carries a cap hit of $6 million. The Flames aim to maximize value in a Markstrom deal with salary retention, with multiple seasons of retention being required.
It’s not a bad idea to suggest that Craig Conroy wasn’t satisfied with the trade offers he was receiving. So he decided to keep him until the offseason when more teams could be in the mix.
With Markstrom staying put for now, the market for goalies this Trade Deadline will be rather bleak. The potential to see more action in the offseason is certainly possible, with more teams being in the mix and with the NHL’s salary cap set to rise for the 2024-2025 season.
Next: Marc-Andre Fleury Officially Off Trade Deadline Market
