Markstrom fully expected to be traded on Flames' latest road trip: report

A trade between the Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils involving Jacob Markstrom may have come even closer to happening than fans realize.

Over two weeks ago, there was plenty of discussion surrounding a Markstrom trade. It was even reported by some that he gave the Flames his blessing in waiving his no-movement clause to accept a deal to the Devils. Ultimately, it fell through, though based on a new report from ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, it came so close that the 34-year-old didn’t expect to travel back to Calgary with the Flames on their New York/New Jersey road trip.

“I’m told Markstrom didn’t think he’d leave the area when the Flames were on a New York/New Jersey road trip earlier this month,” Kaplan wrote.

While talks between the two teams seemed to end shortly after, it will be interesting to see if they pick back up again between now and the March 8th trade deadline. The Devils, who have two games in hand but sit five points shy of the Tampa Bay Lightning for a wild-card position, are still in desperate need of a goaltender. Nico Daws seemed to be heating up, but has since allowed 17 goals over his last four starts.

Had the deal gone through, it is believed that part of the package the Flames would have received in return was Alexander Holtz. The seventh overall pick from the 2020 draft has struggled to gain the trust of head coach Lindy Ruff, but has produced a solid 13 goals and 24 points through 57 games despite limited ice time.

It is now being reported by several, including Kaplan, that the Devils are shifting their focus towards Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros. Similar to the situation the Flames have with Dustin Wolf, the Predators have an AHL prospect in Yaroslav Askarov who appears to be ready for a full-time NHL role.

Should the Devils be able to pull off a Saros trade, that would take them out of the running for Markstrom, and would likely keep the Swedish netminder on the Flames roster for the remainder of the season. A trade over the summer months remains very possible, however, as several more teams could be in the market for a goalie at that time.

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