The New Jersey Devils made an aggressive move to acquire a new goalie before free agency. The Devils sent a strong trade package to the Calgary Flames for goaltender Jacob Markstrom. He recently spoke with the media with his initial thoughts after the trade.
“This is a big challenge,” Markstrom said, per NHL.com. “It's a big team with high expectations and as a goaltender, there's pressure, and I've been on teams where there was pressure on goaltending in the Canadian market. I know what's expected and me, as a person too, and people who know me that I just want to win hockey games. And when we don't win I'm my hardest critic, so I'm just super happy and stoked about going there.”
The Devils traded their 2025 first-round pick and defenseman Kevin Bahl for Markstrom on Wednesday. The first-round pick is top-10 protected. Therefore, if New Jersey has a top-10 selection next year, Calgary will instead receive the Devils' 2026 first-round pick.
The trade happened just a few months after Markstrom was noncommittal about his future in Calgary. The Flames went 38-39-5 in the regular season and missed the playoffs.
“I don't know, but what I do know and what I tell you guys every day is I love winning hockey games,” Markstrom said April 20. “I think that's the competitive side of me … that every time I lace up the skates that's something I urge and I want to accomplish. You want to win hockey games and I know everyone in that locker room wants to win hockey games, too. That's pretty much where my head is at right now.”
Markstrom has a career save percentage of 0.909 with a 2.73 goals against average in 485 regular-season games. He will start for the Devils next season.
Previewing the 2024 offseason for the New Jersey Devils
The Devils got their offseason off to a strong start by acquiring Markstrom. Making a splash at goalie was one of the team's biggest objectives for the summer and they were able to pull it off while retaining their first-round pick this year.
New Jersey can now address the rest of their roster needs.
First on the list should be extending Luke Hughes. The 2021 fourth-overall pick earned a Calder Trophy nomination in 2023 by stepping in to relieve Dougie Hamilton after his pectoral injury. Hughes led the Devils' blue line with 47 points in 82 games.
Hughes is in the final year of his entry-level NHL contract. Therefore, he is eligible for an extension as of July 1st. He is certainly hoping to earn a contract similar to his brother's eight-year, $64 million deal from a few years ago. New Jersey would be fools not to pay him.
The Devils could also use more depth pieces on offense. Thankfully, they don't have too many players to replace. Only Tomas Nosek and Chris Tierney are set to become unrestricted free agents. New Jersey could look to add another big name to their offense or take a volume approach and fill their bench with options. There are plenty of names to choose from in free agency this year.
Finally, there's the 2024 NHL Draft. The Devils hold the 10th overall pick, which they are expected to use on a center prospect. One recent mock draft from The Athletic's Corey Pronman has the Devils selecting Tij Iginla from Kelowna.
It will be interesting to see what New Jersey's lines look like after the offseason is over.
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