Zippy316
aka Zippo
I’m more in favor of getting a stop gap goalie for the year (Stolarz, Kahkonen) and just riding the year out with them an VV. Not really a huge fan of giving up Holtz for Markstrom.
Jacob Markström a Devil? Chris Tanev to Dallas? 2024 trade deadline perfect fits
The Athletic's Harman Dayal and Max Bultman pick perfect player-team fits at this year's trade deadline, along with what they could cost.theathletic.com
The Athletic's take on what a deal for Markstrom might look like...
New Jersey Devils
The perfect fit: Jacob Markström
The trade: Markström (25 percent retained) for Alexander Holtz, 2025 second-round pick
There’s no secret when it comes to the Devils’ biggest need. They’re a deep, highly skilled team that came into the season as a potential Stanley Cup contender. Their campaign hasn’t gone nearly as planned, though, and while some of that can be traced to missed time by their stars, the most fixable issue is in goal, where New Jersey’s team save percentage was just .894 entering the weekend.
The Devils aren’t a slam-dunk playoff team at this point, so on one hand, making an aggressive buy this season might look a bit out of place compared to some of the other teams on this list. But they’re still firmly in the mix, and after getting Jack Hughes back up front, the right addition in goal could still spark a real run.
Markström stands out as that fit for multiple reasons. The most important is that he’s rock solid, putting together yet another strong season in Calgary. He’s a goalie who’s shown he can thrive on a high-octane team that likes to trade chances, and New Jersey associate coach Travis Green will be able to attest to that. Markström had two top-10 Vezina finishes playing for Green in Vancouver in 2018-19 and 2019-20 and played for him at AHL Utica as well.
Crucially, too, Markström is signed for two more years beyond this season, which is key given the Devils’ bubble status for this postseason. The idea would of course be that Markström pays immediate dividends for the Devils, but New Jersey wouldn’t be putting all their chips on just 2024. Those extra two years are especially important considering Nico Hischier’s contract — which carries a bargain $7.25 million cap hit — runs through 2027. Having Markström through 2026 helps to solidify the crease during the window in which the Devils have both of their star No. 1 picks (Hischier and Hughes) locked up at a combined $15.25 million. And with an uninspiring 2024 free-agent class, the Devils would be rolling the dice by waiting for the summer to try and fill that hole another way.
LeBrun wrote recently that the two teams had disagreed over salary retention and its associated costs for a potential Markström deal, but for a Devils team that has some big tickets already on the books, plus other young players they’ll need to pay in the coming years, it’s an obstacle worth navigating — even if it means paying a significant price.
And make no mistake, this price, which features Holtz and a second-rounder would be significant. But with the right amount of retention (we settled on 25 percent, taking Markström’s cap hit down to $4.5 million) that price is worth paying.
There aren’t many natural comparable trades for top-level goalies with term moving at the deadline, but a useful frame of reference is the Colorado Avalanche trading a first-round pick and defense prospect Conor Timmins to the Arizona Coyotes for Darcy Kuemper at $1 million retained in the summer of 2021 (Arizona also received a conditional third-round pick since Colorado won the Stanley Cup). Holtz has emerged as a middle-six scorer, and was a top-10 pick in 2020 — he’d be akin to a first-rounder in this proposal. He can also help an NHL lineup right away, which should be a bonus to the retooling Flames. The second-round pick would be roughly equivalent to Timmins’ value at the time as a prospect. Markström has more term left than Kuemper did which would be attractive for the Devils, but given that he’s 34, it also comes with downside risk. That’s why we didn’t add to the proposal beyond what we already have.
It’s a lot of moving parts, to be sure. But the ingredients are there for New Jersey to pull off a deadline blockbuster for the second straight year.
That being said, I wouldn’t hate a deal like this though. That’s good value for the Devils and I would assume if the Athletic is publishing this, they have some good knowledge on what the actual offer is. Must be pretty close, maybe Holtz for Markstrom with a throw-in like Kallgren for roster reasons.
Devils really should aim to get a second goalie soon though, just to preserve Daws & Schmid’s waiver eligibility for next year. If VV is out for a bit, you’re going to eat into their games even more.
