Devils & Markström: Is He Still the Best Trade Option?
The New Jersey Devils will reportedly re-engage on a Jacob Markström trade this summer, but should he still be their top target?
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Goaltending was a disaster for the New Jersey Devils this season, so we know it'll be a priority for general manager Tom Fitzgerald over the next month and change. We looked at Filip Gustavsson as a potential trade target earlier last week, but we'll examine a much bigger name today.
The Devils came close to acquiring Jacob Markström ahead of the trade deadline earlier this season before Calgary Flames ownership pulled back on it at the last minute. It even got to the point where Markström was asked to waive his no-move clause. One would think the Devils will try again in the coming weeks, but should he be their top target?
Markström's Chaotic 2023-24
The Flames struggled out of the gate this season and never really found their footing in the Western Conference playoff race, but Markström was their best player right through the trade deadline. He posted a .914 SV% through his first 38 games and ranked in the top five in goals saved above expected league-wide.
It looked like he could end up as a Vezina nominee again, but the end of Markström's season did not go well. He finished with an SV% below .900 in his final ten starts and gave up 7.24 goals above expected. A bit concerning? Perhaps, but there's no doubt the trade — or lack thereof — impacted Markström to end the season. His play tailing off right after the trade deadline probably isn't a coincidence.
But even with the struggles to close the season, Markström was still one of the top netminders in the NHL. His .905 SV% isn't world-beating, but he finished ninth in goals saved above expected, saving 13.7 goals more than he should have.
Markström was also one of the better goalies at stopping high-danger shots, finishing with a high-danger SV% of .850 this season, ranked fifth in the NHL. That has been one of his strengths throughout his career, something the Devils have not gotten from a goalie since Cory Schneider’s peak.
No matter how you slice, that'd be a significant upgrade from what the Devils got from Vitek Vaněček, Nico Daws and Akira Schmid this season; Vaněček finished in the bottom 10 in goals saved above expected. If Markström were the Devils' goalie and stopped nearly 14 goals more than expected, they would have made the playoffs.
It's no wonder why the Devils targeted him at the trade deadline. And by all accounts, they're going to try again this summer. Pierre LeBrun reported post-trade deadline that they will re-engage on Markström, but what concerns should they have?
Potential Red Flags With Markström
One concern that I've seen fans have with Markström is his age. He's 34 and will turn 35 in January. That's a justifiable concern, but I don't think fans and the organization should be too wary of that. Goalies tend to age better than skaters. Look at Sergei Bobrovsky, who just earned a Vezina nomination at 35 (he turns 36 in September).
Bobrovsky is not the only goalie who's played well into his mid-30s. Roberto Luongo, Henrik Lundqvist and Martin Brodeur were all at least average into their late 30s. Cam Talbot posted a .913 SV% at 36 this season, while Semyon Varlamov finished with a .918 SV% at 35.
Frederik Andersen may have struggled in the playoffs, but he did post a .932 SV% during the regular season at 34. Granted, he only played in 16 games after missing significant time due to a blood clotting issue.
Some other recent examples include Marc-Andre Fleury posting a .908 SV% at 38 years old in 2022-23 and Mike Smith posting a .915 SV% at 39 years old in 2021-22. A younger goalie is probably a better option for the Devils, but Markström being 34 isn't what I'd take issue with.
My biggest concern with Markström is consistency. Goalies are voodoo, and his numbers have been a bit all over the place the last few seasons. He finished with a .904 SV% during the COVID-shortened season in 2020-21 while giving up 9.3 goals above expected.
He was excellent in 2021-22, finishing with a .922 SV% and saving almost 11 goals above expected. It's no surprise he finished with a Vezina nomination, but his next season marked a big step back.
Markström had one of the worst years of his career in 2022-23, finishing with an .892 SV% while allowing 3.2 goals above expected. We reviewed his 2023-24 campaign in great detail above, so there's no need to rehash that.
I wouldn't call him the most consistent goaltender, but perhaps that's a product of his team, too. The Flames have been as much of a rollercoaster as him over the last few seasons, going from 50-plus wins in 2021-22 to missing the playoffs the following two seasons after losing Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk.
Markström Still a Very Solid Choice
Even with some of his inconsistencies, the Devils should still have Markström as one of their top two choices to replace Vaněček. He'd likely be a clear upgrade over what they got this past season, even if he isn't as good as he was in the first 38 games of 2023-24.
The cost of acquiring Markström shouldn't be exorbitant, either, though that may depend on how he wants to flex his no-move clause. Are the Devils the only team he wants to play for? How open would he be to going to other teams looking for goaltending?
Either way, the tenth overall pick probably isn't on the table for him, especially if the Devils are taking on his full $6 million cap hit, and that's a good thing. Given what should be a low cost on a trade and that he's more than likely to be a significant upgrade on what they previously had, the Devils should be perfectly fine acquiring him, even if better options are available on the trade market.
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