After months of speculation, all signs point to the Calgary Flames being on the verge of trading Jacob Markstrom. The veteran netminder has been in trade rumours since the trade deadline, and this offseason looks to be when the Flames will finally move on from him.
There seems to be a lot of interest in Markstrom this summer, with the New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators reportedly keen to acquire his services. The Flames meanwhile have reportedly set his price as a first-round pick and a prospect. Whether they get that price in the days leading up to the 2024 NHL Draft is a different question, but let’s take a look at what some potential packages could look like from each of these teams:
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils have consistently been in the conversation with the Flames for Markstrom, and the two teams also have a history of trading together well under GM Craig Conroy. The Devils were a great team on paper this past season, but had among the worst goaltending of any team this year, and it was that factor that led to them missing the playoffs. Adding Markstrom would be a massive boost to the team that has a great young skater core.
The Devils have publicly stated that they would be willing to move their tenth overall pick, which would almost certainly be included in any Markstrom deal. However, the Flames will want at least one prospect coming back to them in this deal, as the Flames feel that their asset is worth more than just the pick.
The name that is most interesting in the Devils’ arsenal is Alexander Holtz, who had 28 points in 82 games this year. He fell out of favour with his coach this season and has been on the block for the better part of the season. A 2020 first-round pick, Holtz has a ton of potential and at just 22 years old, there is a lot of runway to grow for him.
An off-the-board name that the Devils and Flames could be discussing is Lenni Hameenaho. The Finnish right winger had 31 points in 46 games in Liiga, Finland’s highest league, and looks primed to make the jump to North America. A really bright player, Hameenaho was initially expected to be a depth forward, but his development path shows him being potentially a middle-six forward. The Flames don’t have many right-shot wingers in the organization, and the 2023 second-round pick could be a valuable asset down the line.
For the Devils, the challenge is that they will want to send a goalie back to Calgary. They have Jake Allen under contract for one more season and also have Nico Daws and Akira Schmid as pending restricted free agents this summer to sign. There is a good chance that they will want to send one of the two to Calgary as part of this deal.
The Flames will want to give Dustin Wolf a run in net this season, and adding another goalie to the mix will make that complicated. There is always the possibility that they flip Dan Vladar someplace else this summer, but it is one additional complication that they will need to manage. This is probably the biggest stumbling block in making this deal work.
Trade proposal: Jacob Markstrom to the New Jersey Devils for a 2024 first-round pick and Alexander Holtz
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs feel like an excellent fit for Markstrom’s services. After yet another first-round exit, the team seems primed to build a more balanced team going forward. They also have just Joseph Woll on the books for next season, and as good as he was, they probably want more stability in net at least until he is fully NHL-ready. With $18.8 million in available room this summer, this feels like a smart move for the Leafs.
Markstrom is on a contract for two more seasons, which fits the Leafs’ timeline. He gives the team far more strength in net than they have had in recent memory, and with the defence shoring up going forward, this should give them a better chance of getting through the first round of the playoffs.
The Leafs have the 23rd pick in the draft this year, which is not nearly as valuable as the tenth overall that the Devils have. To compensate, the Flames will want more coming back their way in the deal if they choose to send Markstrom to Toronto.
As far as young roster players go, the Leafs are unlikely to part with Matthew Knies, but will likely move the signing rights of Nick Robertson or Timothy Liljegren. Both are NHL players but are depth players who don’t move the needle the way that the Flames would want.
Outside of the NHL, the Leafs have a number of high-end prospects that could sweeten the pot substantially. Easton Cowan, Roni Hirvonen, and Fraseer Minten are all names that could move the needle substantially. Cowan was one of the top scorers in the OHL last season, while Minten was above a point-per-game in the WHL this past year.
Hirvonen played reasonably well in his first season in the AHL but has a ton of potential to be an impact NHLer down the line. These are the Leafs’ top prospects, so the odds of them moving them feel remote.
The other name that may make sense for the Flames is Nick Abruzzese, who had 52 points in 71 games in the AHL. A former teammate of Matt Coronato at Harvard, the left-shot winger/centre also had two points in two NHL games. He’s close to NHL-ready, which is one of the key things that the Flames are looking for.
I can’t see the Flames moving Markstrom to Toronto for just the first and Abruzzese, as the Flames will want to extract their pound of flesh from Brad Treliving and Co., but if there was a sweeter in there, it could prove to be a good option for the Flames to look at.
Trade proposal: Jacob Markstrom to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a 2024 first-round pick, a fourth-round pick, and Nick Abruzzese
Ottawa Senators
Just like the Devils, the Ottawa Senators’ young core was stymied by poor goaltending all season long. A team that desperately needs to take a step forward, addressing this glaring hole is a key task for Steve Staios this summer.
Adding Markstrom would be a major step forward for this team, but they have both Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg on contract for next season. They will need to move at least one of them out this summer or place one of them on waivers. Given they claimed Forsberg on waivers this past season, he feels like the one to be moved.
The Sens also have $12 million in cap space this summer, without a ton of major deals to make this year. They also have up to two first-round picks this year, as they need to forfeit one of their picks after the invalid Evgenii Dadonov deal. It is unlikely to be their seventh overall pick this year, given how high it is.
They also have the 25th overall pick, which they got as part of the Alex DeBrincat deal to the Detroit Red Wings. This pick belonged to Boston originally and was traded to the Wings for Tyler Bertuzzi.
The Flames would naturally want the former over the latter, but the cost would be different depending on which they have. Realistically, if the Sens are to give up the seventh overall pick, the cost would be Markstrom at least and the Flames may need to throw in a sweetener to close that deal. That would probably be a later-round pick or a depth prospect, akin to Joni Jurmo or Ilya Nikolayev.
The second first-rounder is more interesting, as it would be a similar deal to what we discussed regarding the Toronto pick. The most interesting prospect in the Sens’ system is Roby Jarventie, who had 20 points in 22 games in the AHL before being called up to the NHL. He was injured for a chunk of the year this year, so there are still questions about what he is at the highest level.
The Sens also have defenceman Tyler Kleven in their system, who is a hard-nosed left-shot defenceman who could be a valuable addition to the team. He adds a sandpaper-like quality that the team’s blueline currently lacks. He may fit the Flames’ system well.
Realistically, Jarventie moves the needle in a way that Klevin just doesn’t. Beyond them, the Sens’ depth really isn’t great for a rebuilding team. The Flames are better off asking for the higher pick. Whether it’s even a starter for the Sens is another question.
Trade proposal: Jacob Markstrom and a 2024 second-round pick (pick 62 from Dallas) for Ottawa’s first-round pick (7th overall)
What makes the most sense for the Flames?
The elephant in the room here is whether Markstrom will waive his no-movement clause to go to any of these three destinations. He appeared willing to go to New Jersey and Toronto is usually a no-brainer for most, but Ottawa feels less certain. It may take some convincing to sell him on moving to Canada’s capital.
However, assuming he’s willing to go to any of the three, the question for the Flames is who gives the best package. New Jersey’s package is the most intriguing for sure. Holtz was a high first-round pick a few years ago who just needs good coaching and a change of scenery. There is a real chance that he becomes a top-six forward for this team as part of their re-tool.
However, if the Flames can get the seventh overall pick in the draft, it increases their likelihood of getting Tij Iginla, something that the organization likely wants. He’s a player that the fanbase can rally around and will sell tickets through the rebuild when he makes it to the NHL. Even when he’s in the AHL (likely not for long), he will definitely sell tickets for the Wranglers, which is big for the organization.
Even if it’s not Iginla, getting a second high pick is massive for this organization as they re-tool. Craig Conroy has talked about modelling this re-tool off of Dallas, who acquired Miro Heiskanen, Jake Oettinger, and Jason Robertson with three successive picks in the 2017 NHL Draft, and adding another very high pick would make sense.
The Leafs’ options are interesting, but probably the least interesting of the three teams. Unless they are able to pry one of the top prospects out of Toronto, this feels like a non-starter for the Flames. There’s a chance they take a chance on Robertson or Liljegren, who are both NHLers for sure, but they don’t seem like quite what the Flames are looking for.
This is going to be an interesting next couple of weeks for the Flames, as they look to acquire more picks in the upcoming draft. With Markstrom now on the block, there is a good chance their crease looks very different in net. This move will be part of a new era in Calgary, and hopefully, it will be brighter than the last one.
