Did Flames nix Markstrom trade to push for a playoff spot?
It’s four days away from the trade deadline and the Calgary Flames still have goaltender Jacob Markstrom on their roster.
That didn’t seem like it would be the case a few weeks ago, as rumours were running rampant about the Flames getting close to trading Markstrom to the New Jersey Devils. Yet, those rumours vanished as quickly as they appeared, with the deal reportedly falling through for unknown reasons.
The initial belief as to why the deal died was that the Flames and Devils couldn’t quite agree on the price it would take to have Calgary retain money on Markstrom’s contract.
The Flames have a history of being stingy with salary retention, though they did retain 50% of Chris Tanev’s contract when they traded him to the Dallas Stars last week. However, a new reason seems to have made its way to the surface.
In the latest edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman says that he heard from somebody that Flames GM Craig Conroy nixed the deal to keep Markstrom and push for a playoff spot.
“On Saturday, someone else said to me that they heard that it wasn’t even [retention] so much as Calgary saw how Markstrom was going and how the team was starting to go, and they just said, ‘Look, we can make the playoffs, and we’re not doing this.'”
Will Jacob Markstrom be dealt out of Calgary before Friday’s trade deadline? 🤔
In the latest episode of 32 Thoughts, @FriedgeHNIC and @JeffMarek break down the Markstrom situation in Calgary, as they discuss every single team in the NHL and highlight their biggest needs as the… pic.twitter.com/XMk7eBs27A
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 4, 2024
The Flames have indeed been playing much better hockey over the last couple of weeks. They’ve won five straight games, and Markstrom has been essential to that success, posting a .920 save percentage or higher in five of his last nine starts. Analytics site MoneyPuck also has the Swede second in the league with 18.7 goals saved above expected, behind only Winnipeg Jets superstar Connor Hellebuyck.
However, despite this improved play, the Flames still find themselves in a difficult position in the NHL standings. They have made up almost no ground on the teams in front of them and remain seven points back of the Nashville Predators for the final wildcard spot in the Western Conference.
NHL.com
While keeping Markstrom will keep Calgary in the fight for a bit longer, it will also most likely result in a worse draft position than if they had decided to commit to trading away Markstrom.
The process has taken its toll on the 34-year-old, who publicly aired his frustrations with Flames management about how the team has handled the negotiations. Friedman believes he knows why Markstrom was upset.
“On one hand, he’s upset that [Calgary is] not the same team he signed with,” said Friedman. “I think he’s more upset because he feels that he should never have been told he could be traded to New Jersey… if it wasn’t going to happen, then he feels he shouldn’t have even been told about it.”
That being said, the deal might not be completely dead. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun wrote in a column today that the Devils remain interested in trading for Markstrom. Though he reported that a Markstrom deal might make more sense in the summer, he didn’t completely snuff out hope for a trade before the deadline.
Perhaps now that Conroy sees his team’s playoff hopes dimming, the two teams can connect in time for a last-minute deal.
It is also relevant to point out that Markstrom’s old coach with the Vancouver Canucks, Travis Green, was recently named the interim head coach of the Devils following the firing of Lindy Ruff.
Things will start to get clearer when the deadline hits at 1 pm MT on Friday.