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.
❌ Marks the spot.
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) June 19, 2024
Welcome to Jersey, Jacob!
📰: https://t.co/NgYAgP5O5g pic.twitter.com/ZmFBiM79nC
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.
| Season | Team | Games | Starts | Record | GAA | SV% | SO |
| 2010-11 | Florida Panthers | 1 | 0 | 0-1-0 | 3.01 | .857 | 0 |
| 2011-12 | Florida Panthers | 7 | 6 | 2-4-1 | .266 | .923 | 0 |
| 2012-13 | Florida Panthers | 23 | 23 | 8-14-1 | 3.22 | .901 | 0 |
| 2013-14 | Florida Panthers/Vancouver Canucks | 16 | 12 | 2-8-3 | 3.39 | .873 | 0 |
| 2014-15 | Vancouver Canucks | 3 | 2 | 1-1-0 | 3.09 | .879 | 0 |
| 2015-16 | Vancouver Canucks | 33 | 30 | 13-14-4 | 2.73 | .915 | 0 |
| 2016-17 | Vancouver Canucks | 26 | 23 | 10-11-3 | 2.63 | .910 | 0 |
| 2017-18 | Vancouver Canucks | 60 | 60 | 23-26-7 | 2.71 | .912 | 2 |
| 2018-19 | Vancouver Canucks | 60 | 60 | 28-23-9 | 2.77 | .912 | 1 |
| 2019-20 | Vancouver Canucks | 43 | 43 | 22-19-2 | 2.68 | .904 | 2 |
| 2020-21 | Calgary Flames | 43 | 43 | 22-19-2 | 2.68 | .904 | 3 |
| 2021-22 | Calgary Flames | 63 | 63 | 37-15-9 | 2.22 | .922 | 9 |
| 2022-23 | Calgary Flames | 59 | 58 | 23-21-12 | 2.92 | .892 | 1 |
| 2023-24 | Calgary Flames | 48 | 48 | 23-23-2 | 2.78 | .905 | 2 |
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.
| Season | AAV |
| 2024-25 | $6,000,000 |
| 2025-26 | $6,000,000 |
| 2026-27 | UFA |
