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Flames plan to keep Markstrom in Calgary, not trade him: report

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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Feb 29 2024, 9:19 pm
Flames plan to keep Markstrom in Calgary, not trade him: report
Sergei Belski/USA TODAY Sports

Less than 24 hours after trading Chris Tanev, the future of another Calgary Flames player has been decided.

Anthony Di Marco of The Fourth Period is reporting that management has decided to hold onto the 34-year-old for the remainder of the season. Shortly thereafter, David Pagnotta added that the New Jersey Devils have recently circled back on Markstrom, but have been told he is staying put for now.

 

Markstrom’s name began popping up in serious trade rumours roughly a month ago, with the Devils being the most discussed destination. A deal reportedly came so close to fruition that the Swedish netminder didn’t expect to return home with the Flames following a recent New York/New Jersey road trip.

This will be a sigh of relief for Markstrom’s teammates, who remain in the playoff hunt. They were already dealt a significant blow seeing Tanev shipped out late last night, and are expected to see another teammate in Noah Hanifin be traded prior to the March 8 deadline.

After a shaky 2022-23 season, Markstrom has bounced back to his elite-level self this season. He is in the running for the Vezina Trophy, as his 33.65 goals saved above expected (GSAx) is second among all NHL goalies this season. He’s even helped offensively, as his five assists rank far ahead of all his peers.

Though it appears that a deal is off for the time being, this is something that could be revisited in the offseason. The Devils are still in desperate need of a goalie, while the Flames need to open up a spot for Dustin Wolf. If Markstrom is available in the offseason, Conroy may be able to get an even bigger haul as more teams are likely to express interest. For the time being, the only thing Markstrom is focused on is trying to get the Flames into the postseason.

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