The marriage between the Calgary Flames and Jacob Markstrom seems to be coming to an end. Between the ongoing speculation and trade rumours, Markstrom’s strong words following the trade deadline, his comments at the locker cleanout day at the end of the season, and simply the direction of this team, it seems like the Flames are going to be in the market to move on from this era.
This feels like a move that will happen in the coming weeks prior to the NHL draft on at the draft as the Flames will likely be looking for future help in the form of draft picks. Given GM Craig Conroy‘s comments that the team wants to follow a similar model to the Dallas Stars, draft picks are going to be key for this team, particularly this coming summer.
The challenges of moving Markstrom
It will not be an easy move to make. Markstrom earns six million dollars a season, which is going to be a tough contract to move in a flat cap era. Even with the cap going up this summer, it’s a big price tag.
Further, he holds a full no-movement clause on his contract, which means that he has complete control over his next destination. If he does not want to uproot his family and leave Calgary, there is little the Flames can do to force his hand. While it seems unlikely that he will want to stay in Calgary, it’s more likely that he will want to control where he goes. The Flames will need to work with him and his representatives to find a mutually agreeable destination.
Another thing to consider is if the Flames will need to take a goalie back as part of the deal. Nearly every team in the league has a goalie under contract for next season, and many have one that they cannot put on waivers or dispense of easily. The Flames have to get rid of one of Markstrom or Vladar without taking back another goalie to open the door for Dustin Wolf at the NHL level. Taking back another goalie without ridding themselves of one of the two of their NHL netminders is not optimal.
The final challenge is the teams that will be looking for a goalie like Markstrom are few. They need to not only have the cash to take on his contract, even if the Flames do retain salary, but also be in the right place in their development path to take him on. While a team like Anaheim desperately needs a goalie, it’s likely too soon for them to splash cash on him at this point.
The good news is that here are many top teams in this playoffs that are struggling with their goaltending this year, and could use an elite goalie like Markstrom. There are also a number of teams that are ready to take the next step in their development, and adding an elite goalie may be the ticket to getting them into the playoffs.
Here’s a list of teams that may be a fit for Markstrom’s services.
New Jersey Devils
Perhaps the most obvious landing spot for Markstrom, the New Jersey Devils were the frontrunners for Markstrom’s services at the NHL Trade Deadline. While they have added Jake Allen as a stopgap for the time being, based on the way the conditions of that deal were written, he seems like a player that they will be looking to move at some point.
The Devils are in a really interesting spot. They were just outside of the Eastern Conference playoffs this year, and have both strong players up front and on defense, but it was their goaltending that really let them down this season. They played five goalies this season, and only Kaapo Kahkonen finished below a 3.00 goals against average, and he played just six games.
The nice thing is that the Devils have the assets to make a deal work with Calgary. They have their next three years’ first round picks still available, as well as a number of other picks.
On top of that, they have many young prospects and NHL-ready players that could use a new home like Alexander Holtz, who hasn’t been as good this season. They also have many right shot defencemen in their prospect pool, something the Flames simply don’t, and if they would be willing to move someone like Seamus Casey in a deal, it would be an enormous win for the Flames.
New Jersey seems like a good landing spot for Markstrom, and a team that could be a contender with elite goaltending. They have all of the assets that the Flames want, and both teams have a history of trading with each other. A natural fit.
Los Angeles Kings
The Kings are in a really interesting spot in their development. They have managed to retain their core players from their last cup run last decade while also adding a ton of skill through the draft. They have strength up and down the lineup, but the one area they are desperately weak at is in net.
Cam Talbot has held the fort with a .913 save percentage in the regular season, but he is 36 years old and without a contract for next season. Former Flame David Rittich has been the 1B there, but he too is needing a new contract for next season. Without any goalies that the Kings need to send back to Calgary, and really lacking a reliable option in net next season, the Kings could come looking to Conroy for Markstrom’s services.
The Kings have about $20 million coming off the cap this summer, and should have the cap room to add Markstrom this summer. On top of that, with two more years left of Anze Kopitar and three more years left of Drew Doughty, Markstrom’s contract fits right in their window.
The Kings have all of their first round picks, but very few of the rest of their picks remaining in this upcoming draft. What they do have is a lot of really good young players that the Flames could target. Jordan Spence, a right shot defenceman who played with Jakob Pelletier in the QMJHL, is one player the Flames should really look at. If they could pry out Akil Thomas or Francesco Pinelli, that would also be a big win for the Flames.
The Kings make a ton of sense as a trading partner, and for Markstrom to go down to sunny California wouldn’t be a bad decision at all.
Ottawa Senators
Much like the Devils, the Senators were a team that couldn’t buy a save this past season. None of their three goalies finished with above a .900 save percentage, despite the team in front of them looking better than the year before.
The Sens are a team that desperately needs to take a step forward next season. They have their top pieces lined up with Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Thomas Chabot, Jake Sanderson, and co. all in place for a run, and are probably ready to end this rebuild and go forward as a competitive team.
The one piece they need is a goaltender. Joonas Korpisalo is now 30 and has not shown himself to be a real NHL starter in his career. Mads Sogaard was fine in six starts but is not the ace netminder that the Sens need.
Acquiring Markstrom would be a show of force by the Senators’ ownership group that they are ready to move into a winning position. The Flames netminder would serve as both a really good goalie in the crease but also as a mentor for Sogaard, if the Sens do see him as the goalie of the future.
The challenge with trading with Ottawa is the Flames would likely have to take back a goalie, and that would probably end up being Korpisalo. This is not a deal-breaker, as it likely would mean the end of both Markstrom and Vladar, but is an obstacle to overcome.
The Sens do have a lot of draft capital to play with, including two first round picks this year. As well, they have some decent draft picks including Roby Jarventie and Tomas Hamara. Jarventie was just shy of a point-per-game in the AHL and Hamara had 17 points in 26 games for Hamilton in the OHL as a defenceman. Probably a bit of a dark horse, but Markstrom would make sense for the Sens.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The fit between Jacob Markstrom and the Toronto Maple Leafs is almost too easy to see. Take his former GM, looking to make a move with his new club, throw in a team with two goalies on expiring contracts without a real starter to have emerged out of the prospect pool, and then add in nearly $20 million in open cap room and the fit makes perfect sense.
The Leafs should be doing everything in their power to try and lure Markstrom to Toronto. The team has constantly prioritized spending on high-priced forwards at the expense of quality everything else, and with how the playoffs have gone so far for the Leafs, it looks to be time for a new strategy.
There are a few interesting goalie prospects in the Leafs’ stables. Joseph Woll has been decent this season in limited starts, but has not really stolen the net. Dennis Hildeby has also been good at the AHL level, but still is unproven at the next level. Adding an elite netminder in Markstrom would be an enormous step forward to helping the Leafs hopefully be able win a game past the first round of the playoffs.
Toronto does not have much draft capital remaining, with just a first round pick this year, and a first and a third in 2026 remaining of their top picks over the next three years. They do have a number of very good prospects in their stables including Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten. If the Flames can find a way to get futures back along with a first round pick for Markstrom this year, it would be a huge win for them.
Utah Hockey Club
Similar to Toronto, new owner Ryan Smith will be looking to make a splash this summer. With a roster of excellent forwards and decent defencemen but lacking that one piece in net to really tie it all together, Markstrom may be the piece that the team needs to signal it is ready to take flight.
Utah is going to need to show its new supporters that they have a product worth watching. With the way that Vegas and Seattle were able to push for the playoffs in the first year or two respectively, the bar has been set very high for Utah.
The team that Smith is taking over has some unbelievable pieces, including Clayton Keller and more, but really doesn’t have great goaltending. Karel Vejmelka was below a .900 save percentage and waiver claimed Connor Ingram was just above .900. Neither, however, has the look to be the starting goalie that this team needs for the future.
While this franchise still is in their rebuild, adding a goalie like Markstrom would signal the team is ready to compete. They still have many prospects and picks, including seven in the first three rounds of this draft alone, that could be moved in this deal. The challenge is that both of their goalies are locked up beyond this season, but even if either were traded to Calgary, they could be moved relatively easily at the Trade Deadline.
What makes the most sense?
The trade for Markstrom feels like a when, not an if, and the big question that remains is where he goes. New Jersey has been hot in pursuit of him since the trade deadline and will no doubt be pushing for him in the summer trade window.
Do not discount Toronto or Los Angeles, however. Both are desperate for an elite goaltender, with the Kings particularly keen on adding a netminder as they have zero under contract after this season. Toronto has the insight into Markstrom, perhaps more than any other team in the league, and if Treliving believes in him like he did when he acquired him for Calgary a few years back, he could push the chips in for him this summer.
Ottawa and Utah both come in with a different M.O. than the other three teams, but could be dark horse picks in this bidding war.
Time will tell for sure, but one thing is for certain, the Flames should have numerous suitors for Markstrom’s services this summer.
