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Flames have traded goaltender Jacob Markstrom to NJ Devils.


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Devils land goalie Jacob Markstrom in trade with Flames

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    Kristen Shilton, ESPN NHL reporterJun 19, 2024, 12:58 PM ET

The New Jersey Devils acquired goaltender Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames for defenseman Kevin Bahl and a top-10-protected first-round draft pick in 2025, it was announced Wednesday.

Calgary will also retain 31.25% of Markstrom's salary in the deal.

 

Markstrom waived his no-trade clause to facilitate the transaction. He has two seasons remaining at $6 million per year on his current contract.

 

The Devils had been after Markstrom since the March trade deadline but weren't able to get a deal with Calgary over the line in time. He had reportedly been unhappy with the Flames for months and would have been open to a trade sooner.

Markstrom is off to New Jersey after posting a 23-23-2 record last season with .905 save percentage and a 2.78 goals-against average.

 

He will join the Devils in a likely tandem with veteran Jake Allen. New Jersey grabbed Allen from Montreal Canadiens in March following the trade of their former No. 1 goalie Vitek Vanecek to San Jose Sharks. Allen took over as the Devils' starter down the stretch for the regular season as New Jersey failed to qualify for the postseason.

 

New Jersey also had goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen in the mix from its trade of Vanecek to the Sharks. Kahkonen is an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

 

This is the Devils' first significant personnel move since hiring new coach Sheldon Keefe on May 23. The team's goaltending carousel over the last two seasons had been a significant issue needing to be addressed, and Markstrom -- coupled with Allen -- projects to bring stability that New Jersey's craved to become a consistent playoff contender.

 

The Flames now will likely go with a tandem of Daniel Vladar and Dustin Wolf at goaltender. The latter was a seventh-round pick by Calgary in 2019 and the organization has been building him up to be a full-time player in their future. He suited up in 17 games last season with an .893 save percentage. Vladar was 8-9-2 last season with an .882 save percentage when backing up Markstrom.

 

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Great add for the Devils, an above average goalie who is a clear number one. The devils still have an incredibly bad defense which must be addressed.

 

  Calgary has Wolf and Vladar, so not hurting there. Adding the pick is huge, freeing up cap space is great. I am very iffy on whether Bahl has anything resembling a career but the flames needed to do this.

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Markstrom traded to Devils by Flames for 1st-round draft pick, Bahl

Goalie had .905 save percentage in 48 games this season, has 2 years left on contract Markstrom_CGY_in-net

© Getty Images

ByNHL.com

Jacob Markstrom was traded to the New Jersey Devils by the Calgary Flames for a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and defenseman Kevin Bahl on Wednesday.

 

The 34-year-old goalie went 23-23-2 with a 2.78 goals-against average, a .905 save percentage and two shutouts in 48 games this season. He has two seasons remaining on a six-year contract and can become an unrestricted free agent after 2025-26.

 

Markstrom was noncommittal about his future in Calgary after the Flames (38-39-5) failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

 

"I don't know, but what I do know and what I tell you guys every day is I love winning hockey games," he said April 20. "I think that's the competitive side of me ... that every time I lace up the skates that's something I urge and I want to accomplish. You want to win hockey games and I know everyone in that locker room wants to win hockey games, too. That's pretty much where my head is at right now.”

 

Selected by the Florida Panthers in the second round (No. 31) of the 2008 NHL Draft, Markstrom is 215-196-57 with a 2.73 GAA and .909 save percentage in 485 regular-season games (468 starts) for the Flames, Vancouver Canucks and Panthers and 13-13 with a 2,90 GAA and .911 save percentage in 26 playoff games.

 

The first-round pick in the trade is top-10 protected. If New Jersey has a top-10 selection next year, Calgary would receive its first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

Bahl played all 82 games for the Devils this season and had 11 points (one goal, 10 assists). He has 25 points (four goals, 21 assists) in 148 regular-season games and one assist in 11 playoff games, all with New Jersey.

 

Bahl, who turns 24 on June 27, was selected by the Arizona Coyotes in the second round (No. 55) of the 2018 NHL Draft.

 

“Today’s trade demonstrates our focus on the infusion of young talented players into our roster as well as acquiring important draft capital, while maintaining our commitment as a playoff competitive team,” Flames general manager Craig Conroy said. “We thank Jacob for his professionalism and understanding of our decision to make this trade now and at this stage in his career.”

 

“For quite some time, we had identified Kevin Bahl as a priority player. He is a strong defender with size who plays an assertive game with tremendous presence.

 

While his 6’6, 230-pound frame is an imposing asset, he uses his body intelligently, has good mobility and makes smart puck decisions. Kevin fits our identity, and we are excited to acquire him now as he can continue to grow with our group.”

 

Since being hired as the full-time GM by the Devils in July 2020, general manager Tom Fitzgerald has seen 12 different goalies play at least one game. Two (Vitek Vanecek, Mackenzie Blackwood) have played 80-plus games, and two others (Nico Daws, Akira Schmid) have totaled at least 40.

 

The Devils (38-39-5) failed to qualify for the playoffs for the 10th time in 12 seasons.

 

"I'm in the goalie market talking to teams, but there's a 'but' and the 'but' is how do we want to build our team?" Fitzgerald told NHL.com on June 4. "We'd like to add up front, we'd like to add on the back end, so what are those pieces going to cost us. With the goaltending, what's that going to cost us?

 

"Does the No. 10 pick [in the 2024 NHL Draft] get you that type of player that you can add to the group. It's easy to say, 'Go get so-and-so and then you build from there.' But there are some guys who have different contracts so how are those players going to reprice at. There's a lot to it, but, yes, the focus is on finding that goaltender."

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4 hours ago, BobbyClarkeFan16 said:

Calgary made a good trade. Personally, I think Dahl is underrated and he's going to thrive in Calgary. 

 

 

I was hoping for more of a return but....

 

Markstrom really did not want to be there, and the Vladar/Wolf combo should be ok.

 

Bahl is a big, mobile left handed shot, which is something the Flames need. Hopefully, the devils land at # 11 in the draft next year. 😀

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10 minutes ago, Brewin Flames said:

 

 

I was hoping for more of a return but....

 

Markstrom really did not want to be there, and the Vladar/Wolf combo should be ok.

 

Bahl is a big, mobile left handed shot, which is something the Flames need. Hopefully, the devils land at # 11 in the draft next year. 😀

I'm a huge Ottawa 67s fan and Bahl was fantastic in Ottawa. Big, mobile, and untapped offensive ability. I think Calgary is really going to like him.

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