Jacob Markstrom trade details: Devils address starting goaltender need, land veteran in deal with Flames

Bryan Murphy

Jacob Markstrom trade details: Devils address starting goaltender need, land veteran in deal with Flames image

The Devils have been searching for a true No. 1 goaltender over the last couple of seasons. 

Now, they finally have one. 

New Jersey acquired Calgary goaltender Jacob Markstrom on Wednesday, the team officially announced. TSN's Travis Yost was first on the deal. 

Markstrom, 34, has been in trade rumors for an extended period of time, as the Flames look to rebuild on the fly. The Devils were one of the squads closely tied to him, as New Jersey GM Tom Fitzgerald has worked the trade market, looking to bring in a bonafide starter for the crease. 

The Swede is coming off an average season in Calgary. He went 23-23-2 in 48 starts in the 2023-24 season, recording a 2.78 GAA, a .905 save percentage and two shutouts.

Here are the details on the Markstrom trade to the Devils. 

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Jacob Markstrom trade details

  • Devils receive: G Jacob Markstrom
  • Flames receive: D Kevin Bahl, 2025 conditional first-round pick

The Devils sent the Flames 23-year-old defenseman Kevin Bahl and a conditional first-round pick in 2025. The caveat on the draft pick is that it is top-10 protected. 

In addition, Calgary is retaining 31.25% of Markstrom's contract in the deal.

New Jersey emerged in 2022-23 as a surprise contender, seemingly accelerating its rebuild with the emergence of Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and other young members of its core group. The Devils finished second in the Metropolitan Division and reached the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. 

However, the team took a step back this past season, and a large part of that was its shaky goaltending. Nobody took over in the crease, with Vitek Vanecek, Akira Schmid and Nico Daws all getting a chance to be the starting goaltender, as well as midseason acquisitions of Kaapo Kahkonen and Jake Allen. 

Dealing for a starting goaltender was priority No. 1 for Fitzgerald this summer. There are a number of goaltenders potentially hitting the trade market, including Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark and Predators starter Juuse Saros, however Markstrom was the name tied most often to the Devils. He was willing to waive his no-trade clause to come to New Jersey, where he immediately takes over as the No. 1 goaltender. 

For the Flames, Markstrom's exit is another addition to what is becoming an extensive list of core players leaving Calgary. Over the last two years, the club has seen the departure of Matthew Tkachuk, Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm, Tyler Toffoli, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov. The common theme among the group is that either they were not interested in signing a long-term deal, or were not satisfied with Calgary's offer. 

Calgary gets a solid, third-pairing defenseman in Kevin Bahl. The 23-year-old is a monster on the ice, measured in at 6-foot-6, who plays a physical style. There isn't much offensive upside there, but he can help shore up a blue line that has been leaky recently.

Landing a first-round pick was crucial for the Flames in their quest to get younger. While it is top-10 protected, the Devils are expected to be contenders next season, especially after acquiring Markstrom. It should give Calgary two picks within the first 32 selections of next year's draft. 

Jacob Markstrom stats

Markstrom's time in Calgary consisted of ups and downs. He was solid in his first season before breaking out for his best year to date in 2021-22, finishing as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy. 

Since then, his numbers have dipped the last two seasons. His 2022-23 campaign was his worst as a starting goaltender, and while his stats improved this past year, he was still nowhere close to being the Vezina contender he was two years prior. 

SeasonTeamGamesStartsRecordGAASV%SO
2010-11Florida Panthers100-1-03.01.8570
2011-12Florida Panthers762-4-1.266.9230
2012-13Florida Panthers23238-14-13.22.9010
2013-14Florida Panthers/Vancouver Canucks16122-8-33.39.8730
2014-15Vancouver Canucks321-1-03.09.8790
2015-16Vancouver Canucks333013-14-42.73.9150
2016-17Vancouver Canucks262310-11-32.63.9100
2017-18Vancouver Canucks606023-26-72.71.9122
2018-19Vancouver Canucks606028-23-92.77.9121
2019-20Vancouver Canucks434322-19-22.68.9042
2020-21Calgary Flames434322-19-22.68.9043
2021-22Calgary Flames636337-15-92.22.9229
2022-23Calgary Flames595823-21-122.92.8921
2023-24Calgary Flames484823-23-22.78.9052

Jacob Markstrom contract

Markstrom has two years remaining on his six-year, $36 million contract he signed with the Flames during 2020 free agency. His contract carries a cap hit of $6 million a year, however Calgary is retaining $1.875 million of that hit, meaning New Jersey is on the hook for $4.125 million.

He is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent again in 2026. 

SeasonAAV
2024-25$6,000,000
2025-26$6,000,000
2026-27UFA

Bryan Murphy

Bryan Murphy Photo

Bryan Murphy joined The Sporting News in 2022 as the NHL/Canada content producer. Previously he worked for NBC Sports on their national news desk reporting on breaking news for the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL, in addition to covering the 2020 and 2022 Olympic Games. A graduate of Quinnipiac University, he spent time in college as a beat reporter covering the men’s ice hockey team.