Flames' Markstrom willing to waive no-movement clause for trade to Devils: report

He hasn’t been asked to do so, but it is believed that Jacob Markstrom would be willing to waive his no-movement clause should the Calgary Flames ask him to do so.

Of course, for Markstrom to agree to be traded, he would need to be willing to go to the specific team the Flames would look to move him to. One team who is believed to have interest in him is the New Jersey Devils, which, according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, is a team the 33-year-old would accept a deal to.

“Speaking with two separate sources close to Markstrom’s camp, New Jersey would be a team he would seriously consider going to, if asked,” Pagnotta reported earlier this afternoon. “Talks have not hit that level of seriousness just yet, but if they do, my understanding is Markstrom would not stand in the way of a move to the Devils. But it’s going to cost [GM Tom] Fitzgerald a nice asset or two, especially if either Hanifin or Tanev are part of the mix.”

The Devils, who came into the season with high expectations, currently sit five points behind the Detroit Red Wings for a wild-card spot, though they do hold a game in hand. They also trail the Philadelphia Flyers by seven points for third place in the Metropolitan Division with three games in hand.

A big reason why the Devils have disappointed this season is their goaltending, as Vitek Vanecek, Nico Daws, and Akira Schmid haven’t been up to standard. Adding Markstrom, who has been exceptional this season with a 2.56 goals against average (GAA) along with a .914 save percentage (SV%), would give them a serious upgrade in that department. He is also locked up for an additional two seasons with a cap hit of $6 million, which would bode well for a Devils team that is set up to compete for many years moving forward.

For Markstrom’s sake, there are plenty of reasons as to why accepting a trade to the Devils makes sense. Despite their subpar play this season, they are in a much more win-now mode than the Flames. It would also allow him to reunite with his former Flames and Vancouver Canucks teammate in Tyler Toffoli, as well as Travis Green, who served as Markstrom’s head coach with the Canucks for parts of five seasons from 2017 to 2021. Green is currently with the Devils as an assistant coach.

Moving Markstrom would be beneficial for the Flames in that it would open up a permanent roster spot for Dustin Wolf, though they would need plenty of value in return to do so. One player that general manager Craig Conroy would have interest in is Alexander Holtz, who is struggling to get playing time under Devils head coach Lindy Ruff. The 22-year-old, who went seventh overall in the 2020 draft, has 12 goals and 23 points through 49 games this season.

Given Markstrom’s hefty salary, this trade would require the Devils to move some money out as well, which could make it a difficult one to pull off in-season. That said, it appears there is interest here on both sides and with the trade deadline still nearly a month away, perhaps they can find a way to pull off what would be a blockbuster deal in the coming weeks.

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