The Calgary Flames have had a lot of news surrounding them for almost a year now. They moved a good number of players who were considered part of their core over the past season, and we could be seeing another go by the time the 2024 NHL Draft rolls around.
Since the turn of the calendar, the rumours surrounding Flames net-minder Jacob Markstrom have been extremely loud, to the point where Markstrom waived his no-movement clause for a trade that would have sent him to the New Jersey Devils before it eventually fell through.
The Flames now have to make a decision, and they have to make one rather quickly. It is time to move on from Markstrom and start fresh, and the time to do that is now.
Markstrom is unhappy as a Flame
It is no surprise that Markstrom and his camp are still unhappy with how everything was handled last season. As I mentioned above, a deal was on the table to send the 34-year-old to the Devils just before the deadline, but ownership eventually nixed the trade. Markstrom was very vocal about how that situation was handled in a press conference just a day before Miikka Kiprusoff‘s number was retired, and it has been made pretty clear that those feelings are still the same as the draft and free agency soon approaches.
It isn’t a shock to anyone that Markstrom wants to play for a contender. He is at the tail end of his best years, and he won’t have much time to be the guy who leads a team to the promised land. That won’t be happening in Calgary anytime soon, as the team appears to be entering a retooling phase, so to have a veteran netminder on the roster who clearly wants to win now doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
There will be a number of suitors who are in need of a goaltender for next year, so the management team will have to find the right deal that works for both them and Markstrom.
The time to move Markstrom is now
The Flames cannot afford to hold onto Markstrom in hopes of someone upping their offer as the off-season goes on. There are only thirty-two spots for a starting goaltender, and if the Flames choose to hold onto Markstrom as opposed to moving him, those spots will get filled, whether they like it or not.
We know the New Jersey Devils are probably the front runners at this point in time, but we have also seen reports that the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs have checked in on Markstrom. I also wouldn’t count out the Los Angeles Kings either (they do seem to love former Flames goalies). The Flames don’t have the luxury of waiting. Sure, the free agency pool of goaltenders is not that strong, but there will be some pretty high-end names available on the trade market, like Juuse Saros and Linus Ullmark.
If the teams in question decide to move on any of the other goalies that I listed above (or someone we may not even know that may become available), it could leave the Flames in a tough spot as they will lose all their leverage with only a limited amount of teams in need of a goaltender. That will drive the price down by a pretty significant amount. This becomes especially important when we know that the Devils are willing to move the 10th overall pick in this draft to acquire a starting goalie; the Flames cannot wait—they have to act quickly.
Do not make the same mistakes; make the trade
We know the Flames pulled out of the deal that would have made Markstrom a Devil, and for everything we know, it was expected that Alex Holtz was one of the pieces who would have come back to Calgary in that deal. That would have been a major piece for the Flames.
At this point in time, a year ago, the Flames would have had to move major assets along with Markstrom to get out of his contract with the season he had in 2022–23; he was considered unmovable. Now—with the way he bounced back this season—the option to move him without adding assets is right back on the table. We don’t know how Marsktrom will play this upcoming season, as his career path has shown to be extremely inconsistent. You can move the player and bring back major future assets; there is no reason as to why they shouldn’t be pulling the trigger on this deal.
Do right by Markstrom
The Flames have reportedly said that they would not be opposed to holding onto Markstrom in hopes of mending the relationship, but I think those bridges have been burned. He was clearly unhappy in March, and he seems to still be upset now. The Flames have to do right by Marsktrom and give him a chance to win.
Only time will tell, but with the draft just weeks away, the Flames will have to make a decision on what they want to do, and hopefully they choose to move Markstrom as quick as they can.
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
