Five teams that could target a Jacob Markstrom trade with the Calgary Flames this summer
By Nathan Smith
5. New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are the most obvious team on this list, as they were the ones pursuing him at the trade deadline, and even with the new duo of Kaapo Kahkonen and Jake Allen, they will need much more talent in net to be competitive. It was revealed at the deadline that the Devils offer just wasn't good enough for Calgary, but if they take a step back and re-assess the state of the franchise, the deal will most likely get better for the Flames in the summer, with young pieces like Simon Nemec, Seamus Casey, Alexander Holtz, Dawson Mercer and a 2024 first-round pick to deal with.
The team are loaded with young talent such as Jesper Bratt, Luke & Jack Hughes, Nico Hiescher and believe themselves to be Stanley Cup contenders after a successful 2022-23 campaign, but to be that, they need help in net. While Tom Fitzgerald talked about the Flames asking too much for Markstrom at the deadline, to get a top goaltender they simply need to pay up, and if they miss the playoffs after such high expectations over the summer, it may force them to rethink their strategy and do just that.