Flames management asked Markstrom to waive his no-movement clause: report
From the sounds of things, the Calgary Flames came quite close to trading goaltender Jacob Markstrom last week.
There were several reports from insiders that the Flames were discussing a trade with the New Jersey Devils involving Markstrom. It wasn’t believed at the time that general manager Craig Conroy had approached Markstrom and asked him about his willingness to waive his no-movement clause, however.
That all changed this morning, as, according to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, the Flames did ask Markstrom if he would be willing to accept a deal. Though it appears to have fallen through, the 34-year-old goaltender is believed to have given the green light on such a trade.
“I think the Devils and Flames were pretty far down the track on a Markstrom deal, and I think it did get to his level to approve it,” Seravalli said on the Morning Cuppa Hockey show. “I think there were no issues there, and I think somehow, somewhere along the way, that trade was scuttled. Don’t know how, don’t know why, but they were pretty close to nailing it down.”
It is no secret that the Devils are in desperate need of a goaltender. After a big 2022-23 season, many expected them to be a contender in the Eastern Conference this season. Instead, they sit four points shy of a wild-card spot, and goaltending has played a big reason as to why. Vitek Vanecek has a 3.18 goals against average (GAA) along with a .890 save percentage (SV%) through 32 appearances this season, and current backup Nico Daws hasn’t been a whole lot better with a 3.14 GAA and a .903 SV% in nine games.
Bringing in Markstrom, who has two additional seasons on his contract with a cap hit of $6 million, would give the Devils some stability in that position over the next few years as they look to contend for a Stanley Cup. It would also allow for the Flames to offload a big contract, while opening a roster spot for Dustin Wolf.
Though it appears talks have cooled between the Flames and Devils, there is still a chance they pick back up between now and the trade deadline on March 8. If not, it could be something that gets revisited in the offseason.