Devils Goaltending Should Be Less Volatile With Markström
Jacob Markström may not be elite, but he should still be a significant upgrade for the New Jersey Devils in net.
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It seemed inevitable, right? After months of speculation, the New Jersey Devils finally acquired Jacob Markström from the Calgary Flames. And it didn't take much for them to pry Markström out of Calgary.
Some of us thought there was a good chance Alexander Holtz would be in any deal for Markström, but that wasn't the case. The Devils acquired Markström for a first-round pick in 2025 (top-10 protected) and Kevin Bahl. They also got Markstrom at 31 percent retained, bringing his cap hit down to $4.125 million.
A few issues brought the Devils down this season, but goaltending was arguably their biggest downfall. Now, they should be in good shape with Markström and Jake Allen, despite the two of them being in their mid-30s.
Markström Should Be a Big-Time Upgrade
Not much went right for the Flames this season, but Markström was one of their bright spots right through the trade deadline. Through 39 games before the deadline, he posted a .911 save percentage at all strengths while saving 20.18 goals above expected.
One area where Markström excelled this season and the Devils' goaltenders didn't was saving high-danger shots. He finished with a high-danger SV% of .856 at all strengths, the second-best mark in the NHL for goalies with at least 500 minutes logged. Only Laurent Brossoit had a better high-danger SV% than Markström.
Something the Devils really struggled to defend this past season was high-danger shots. That will likely change under new head coach Sheldon Keefe, but it doesn't hurt to have someone who can stop high-danger shots like Markström.
Markström's ability to stop high-danger shots was not a one-off, too. Over the last three seasons, he's racked up a high-danger SV% of .837 at all strengths. That ranks ninth league-wide for goalies with at least 1000 minutes logged, placing him just ahead of Juuse Saros (.836) and just below Linus Ullmark (.841), who may have been Devils targets as well.
Another positive about Markström is some solid results at five-on-five. He finished this season with a .919 SV% at that game state, even after falling off in his last few appearances after the trade deadline.
When expanded to three seasons, he has a .914 SV% at five-on-five. And that's because Markström struggled in 2022-23, posting a five-on-five SV% of .898. Otherwise, you have to like his results at this game state:
2021-22: .928 SV%
2022-23: .898 SV%
2023-24: .919 SV%
For context's sake, Vitek Vaněček finished the 2023-24 season with a five-on-five SV% of .902, the ninth-worst number in the NHL. Meanwhile, Akira Schmid and Nico Daws were at .903 and .904. Markström's results since the start of 2021-22 suggest he should be a big-time upgrade for the Devils compared to what they got this season:
It's tough to win games when your goaltenders aren't getting the job done, but that shouldn't be as much of a concern for the Devils moving forward.
Retention Was Huge
Even dating back to the original Markström rumors in February and March, retention seemed like it would be a factor. The Flames are notorious for not retaining salary, and Markström has term on his contract. I didn't think they would retain much salary in any trade for him, but 31 percent is pretty significant.
I've mentioned it in some posts recently, but the Devils are not flush with cap space this summer. They had $19.1 million in cap space before the Markström trade, so taking on his entire $6 million cap hit would've made this offseason pretty tight cap-wise.
With the Devils seemingly wanting a bit of everything this summer, getting nearly $2 million sliced off Markström's cap hit is massive. That $1.875 million could be the difference between being able to add a bottom-six winger like William Carrier or Kiefer Sherwood and not having the space to do so. Now, that's less of a concern.
You could make the same argument for a defenseman. With Bahl going to Calgary, you have to think the Devils target someone to fill that third-pair role. Pierre LeBrun openly wondered about Brenden Dillon recently, and that's probably not an accident. He'll likely sign for around $2.5 to $3 million annually, so getting Markström at $4.125 million is a big deal.
Looking at the big picture, the Devils have $6.05 million tied up in goalies next season, with Allen also retained at 50 percent. You never want to spend big money on goaltenders, but the Devils somehow got Markström and Allen at combined cap hits just slightly above Markström's entire hit. That's pretty good work by general manager Tom Fitzgerald to get upgrades at reduced costs.
Markström Wanted the Devils
Imagine if the Devils got Markstrom's level of goaltending this season. They would have made the playoffs comfortably. There's no doubt about it. If he gives them that next season, they're making the playoffs. And based on his press conference, he's motivated and wants to be in New Jersey.
Via Bill Spaulding, Markström seems to have heard great things about playing for the Devils and that he can't wait to make it his home:
It's not a surprise to hear that from Markström, considering he was willing to waive his no-move clause for the Devils in March at the deadline. LeBrun recently reported again that Markström would waive his no-move for the Devils, so here we are.
It also says something about the perception of the Devils that Markström wants to play here. Connor Hellebuyck was reportedly interested in the organization when his name was in the rumor mill last summer, so the glow-up hasn't died.
Markström & Allen Should Work Well Together
With Markström officially in the fold and in a situation he wants to be in, I'm expecting him to give the Devils the goaltending they've been seeking for a long time. It also helps that he has a reliable backup in Allen, who can probably shoulder around 30-35 starts.
I know some have concerns about the age of the Devils' tandem, but I'm not overly worried about it. One) It's only a two-year commitment for Markström and at a cap hit just above $4 million. There's no such thing as no-risk or low-risk goalie trades, but there shouldn't be too much risk here, especially since the Devils didn't give up too much to acquire him.
Two) Sergei Bobrovsky turns 36 in September and is on the cusp of a Stanley Cup after earning a Vezina nomination. Goalies tend to age better than skaters. It's a different game now, but Roberto Luongo, Martin Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist were average goaltenders in their late 30s at the worst. Even Cam Talbot had a more than solid season (.913 SV%) in 2023-24 at 36, and he's far from an elite netminder.
This always seemed like the move for the Devils. They clearly coveted Markström and appeared poised to make this deal happen one way or another. Even if he doesn't post elite numbers next season, he should be so far and beyond an upgrade compared to what they had that he should help the Devils get back in the playoff picture in 2024-25.
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Alex - in your opinion is Holtz a greater or lesser trade chip than the 2025/26 1st round pick traded?
Great point about Markstrom wanting to join the Devils. My guess is Ullmark, and maybe Saros too, would’ve had mixed feelings about a trade to the Devils and would be bummed to be leaving where they were.