The slow burn continues

The Devils and Flames continue to play cat and mouse over Jacob Markstrom.

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The New Jersey Devils want to land a legitimate starting goaltender this summer and all signs point to Jacob Markstrom as their solution.

Juuse Saros would cost a boatload of assets via trade and might well flirt with a $10 million salary on a contract extension. He would not be a fit for those reasons.

It could be moot, anyway, as it now appears more likely he will stay in Nashville than be dealt elsewhere.

Linus Ullmark has only once appeared in more than 41 regular season games in a season and is going to cost a pretty penny on the trade market.

His numbers have been excellent in recent years and his trade protection is nowhere close to the level of Markstrom’s. He can only block 15 of the other 31 teams (Markstrom has full control), meaning more suitors can get involved and drive up the price.

I think Ullmark’s very good but the Devils might have understandable concerns about paying a premium for someone and then asking him to perform at an elite level while being taken out of the comfort zone that has helped lead to peak performance.

There’s a big difference between playing in 40 games and 50-55+, which is probably what the Devils want in front of Jake Allen.

Combine Markstrom’s lengthy track record as a quality starter with his affordable $6 million cap hit, and the fact he has a ton of control over the situation due to a no-movement clause, and he seems like the best match for the Devils.

They know it, the Flames know it, and the guy from the corner store knows it. Now it comes to finding common ground on a price.

A lot of people have put two and two together, so to speak, and assumed the Devils would trade 10th overall in a deal for a goaltender simply because a) they need a goaltender and; b) they’re open to moving the pick.

I have maintained that’s a lot to give up for a netminder – especially a 34-year-old who’d only be around for two years – and it appears GM Tom Fitzgerald may feel the same way.