X marks the spot: Three potential trade destinations for Jacob Markstrom
Markstrom’s no-trade protection complicates matters, but these three teams stand out as potential landing spots..
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The New Jersey Devils are reportedly testing the market for veteran goaltender Jacob Markstrom.
Finding a trade could be a tricky proposition. He is coming off a down season, he is set to earn $6 million for another two seasons, and he has a 20-team no-trade list.
That combination could limit an already narrow list of matches.
Whether GM Sunny Mehta can find a deal is anyone’s guess, but here are three destinations that could make sense.
Edmonton Oilers
The clock is ticking in Edmonton. They need to position themselves to win, and do so promptly, if Connor McDavid is going to stick around.
Jacob Markstrom is not the perfect solution but I’m not sure one is out there.
This year’s free agency class is headlined by Sergei Bobrovsky, Frederik Andersen, Stuart Skinner, and Connor Ingram.
Bobrovsky and Andersen posted worse numbers than Markstrom did, and the Oilers have already tried Skinner and Ingram.
The Oilers aren’t overflowing with trade assets, either, so it may be difficult to land a high-end netminder – even if one is out there.
Markstrom is coming off a down year but he was solid a season ago and showed well in the playoffs.
He is also a name-brand goaltender who could have McDavid and Leon Draisaitl more excited than a bet on, say, Tristan Jarry.
The Oilers have reached the Stanley Cup Final in two of the last three years, and Markstrom spent the majority of his career in Western Canada, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they are a team Markstrom is willing to go to.
