The Calgary Flames have finally put an end to the ongoing Jacob Markstrom saga, trading him to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for defenceman Kevin Bahl and a 2025 first-round pick on Wednesday. The Flames will retain 31.25 percent of Markstrom’s $6 million cap hit, while the first-round pick from the Devils is top-10 protected.
Though no one was surprised the Devils landed Markstrom, many Flames fans were caught off guard by the return. The consensus, so far, is that they lost this trade – although, as we quickly realized with the Yegor Sharangovich/Tyler Toffoli swap last offseason, deals can take time to judge.
Flames in a Tough Position
The Flames didn’t have much leverage when it came to trading Markstrom. The 34-year-old had become disappointed with the direction of the team, and though it isn’t believed he actually requested a move, he made it clear that he wanted to play for an organization that could contend for the Stanley Cup. That is not where the Flames are right now.
We can all agree, however, that Markstrom is a top-10 goalie in the NHL – some would even rank him as high as top-five. There was plenty of interest in him, but at the end of the day, he held all the cards. When he signed a six-year deal with the Flames ahead of the 2020-21 season, he was given a full no-movement clause, meaning he had to agree to be traded and could decide to what team it would be.
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That likely forced a team like the Ottawa Senators – who were interested – out of the picture. While the Devils have some flaws, they have a roster far closer to competing for a Stanley Cup than the Senators at this time. That alone made it difficult for Flames general manager Craig Conroy to raise the asking price for Markstrom.
Bahl Has Some Potential
Despite the initial disappointment, many are starting to come around to this deal. Part of that is due to Kevin Bahl’s potential, who, at 23, still has time to develop into a top-four NHL defenceman.
Though Bahl wasn’t much of an offensive producer in junior and has been even less so in the NHL, his strong defensive presence makes him a valuable asset. At 6-foot-6, 230 pounds, he is one of the biggest players in the league and isn’t afraid to throw his weight around.
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He is also a good penalty-killer who blocks a ton of shots, something the Flames missed tremendously after trading Chris Tanev in late February. Though Bahl isn’t as good as Tanev yet, the two play a similar style, looking to shut things down in the defensive zone.
That said, the consensus surrounding Bahl is that he is likely best suited as a third-pairing blueliner, which is disappointing, given that fans had high hopes of landing one of the Devils’ top prospects with the potential to turn into star talent.
Protected First-Round Pick Hurts
The other problem with this deal is that the first-round pick isn’t the Devils’ tenth overall selection at this year’s draft, and it is top-10 protected next season. Should the Devils rebound, as expected, that pick may not come until the later half of the first round in the 2025 Draft, which is significantly lower than most thought Conroy could get in return for Markstrom.
If, by some chance, the Devils struggle again and earn a top-10 pick, it won’t go to the Flames. Instead, the first-round selection will move to 2026, prolonging the rebuild.
Markstrom’s No-Movement Clause Proved Difficult
Given how good Markstrom is, Flames fans were hoping the return for him would speed up the rebuild. While the return they got should help, it wasn’t nearly as big as many expected, though it isn’t exactly fair to blame Conroy for that. What made this deal so difficult to pull off was that Markstrom held all the cards – the no-movement clause put in his contract by former general manager Brad Treliving. The Swedish goaltender had full control and prevented the Flames from getting full value for him.
At the end of the day, we can be disappointed with the return while also realizing it wasn’t necessarily Conroy’s fault. He was in a tough position and made a move that he felt benefitted the future of his team.
Grade: C+
