Jacob Markstrom connected to three teams after trade request

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Josh Tupper
June 10, 2024 (7:53)

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Goalie Jacob Markstrom of the Calgary Flames has been linked to a move away from the Alberta team for several months. Could a deal happen in the upcoming weeks?

The New Jersey Devils may be interested in trading for Jacob Markstrom after the two parties were unable to come to an agreement three months ago, according to Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman, who made this revelation during a recent episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast.

Prior to the trade deadline in March, the two teams were engaged in talks on a potential move, but ultimately the Devils decided to bring in Jake Allen from the Montreal Canadiens.

The Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs are two other teams Friedman noted that he wonders if they would be interested in Markstrom. Brad Treliving, the general manager of the Maple Leafs, signed Markstrom as a free agent in 2020 in Calgary, thus he is well-known to Markstrom. Regarding the Senators, they made a significant commitment the previous summer when they signed free agency goaltender Joonas Korpisalo. However, Markstrom might be a nice match in the nation's capital following a challenging season and a sense of urgency to advance.

"It was so crazy during the regular season, Calgary is trying to do this as quietly as possible. But there's definitely something going on. I mean, New Jersey, you know anybody looking for a goalie. But a couple of teams I wonder about: Toronto - the GM in Toronto was the guy who signed Markstrom in Calgary and just on paper a Markstrom/Woll combination is a pretty good combination." Friedman said.

He added, "And the other team that I think is in on almost every goalie conversation is Ottawa. Now, I don't know how Markstrom feels about that. But I was told, like, every conversation that involves a goalie, you have the Ottawa Senators around it."

The 34-year-old Markstrom played in 48 games with the Flames this season, compiling a record of 23-23-2, 2.78 goals against average, a.905 save percentage, and two shutouts. The product of Galve, Sweden, has two years left on his deal, which includes a $6 million cap cost and a complete no-movement clause. As a result, the Calgary Flames could need to hold onto some payroll in order to make a trade work. It will be intriguing to watch how things play out in the upcoming weeks and whether the Flames can find a new place for their Swedish goalkeeper to call home.