The Jacob Markstrom trade has thus far worked out perfectly for both teams.
The New Jersey Devils now have a bonafide number-one goaltender who has helped put them into the Stanley Cup contender status. Meanwhile, the Calgary Flames got back a solid top-four defenceman in Kevin Bahl and the ability to give Dustin Wolf the full-time starter role. Each team would have made that trade ten times again if they had to.
The big difference for the Flames that has yet to come to fruition would be the first-round pick in the 2025 NHL draft that they still hold. It initially looked like the team would be picking later in the draft due to New Jersey’s strong season, but with Markstrom’s recent injury, that first-round pick could end up being even better than expected.
Luck of the draw
First off, Markstrom’s injury is awful and no one would ever wish an injury on a former player. He was having a Vezina-caliber season and was finally rid of the drama-filled environment that was in Calgary the last few years. Add in the fact that Markstrom was likely to be the starter for Team Sweden at the Four Nations Face-Off in February, and it’s simply a disaster for everyone involved.
Now, when it comes to the draft pick, at the time of writing, the pick would fall at 25, hypothetically. That positioning is, of course, going to change depending on where the Devils finish in the regular season as well as the playoffs. Had they had a healthy Markstrom, it was possible that the Devils could have contended for top spot in the Metropolitan Division. Now it’s less likely—especially with the Washington Capitals on an absolute heater—meaning the pick won’t automatically finish worse than 25th.
How the Flames benefit from Markstrom missing time
Now, if the Devils fall back even further, their first-round opponent could get even harder on top of Markstrom coming back from injury. At the time of writing, the Devils are scheduled to start on the road against the Carolina Hurricanes, the team that just traded for Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall. Not a great first-round match-up. If they were to lose in the first round, their pick could fall anywhere from 17th to 24th overall.
More good news for the Flames
There is even a more drastic scenario where the Devils could find themselves battling for one of the two wild card positions in the dreaded Eastern Conference arms race. It’s less likely, as the closest team is the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are seven points behind the Devils with one game in hand.
You can also include the New York Rangers, who are eight points behind the Devils with two games in hand. Either way, if the Devils continue to slide, they could face a spot in the wild card race or even outside of the playoffs.
That first-round pick could become a heck of a lot more valuable as the season progresses.
