The New Jersey Devils got better news than expected on Friday when we learned that goalie Jacob Markstrom will miss 4-6 weeks with a knee sprain he suffered on Wednesday night. Justin Brazeau slid into Markstrom’s leg, which then got caught on the goalpost and bent in what we’ll call an uncomfortable way. It could have been so much worse, so the Devils missing their starting goalie for basically three weeks since the 4 Nations Face-Off takes place during his timetable.
It’s great news for Markstrom, who will likely only miss 7-10 games. The Devils can survive with Jake Allen and some mixture of Nico Daws and Isaac Poulter during that time. The Devils’ team played much better on Wednesday against the Boston Bruins, putting up five unanswered goals thanks to a lethal power play and two goals from Dawson Mercer.
Jacob Markstrom's injury isn't bad, but it does take him out of the awards race.
If the Devils’ offensive woes are behind them (still to be proven), then Markstrom won’t be missed as much as he would have been the last three weeks. Still, the Devils want Markstrom back fully healthy because it’s more important that he’s available during the stretch run.
The Devils are six points ahead of the Bruins, who are in the first Wild Card spot and couldn’t take the Devils spot in the Metropolitan Division, anyway. They are seven points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets and eight points ahead of the New York Rangers (who have two games at hand). While it’s closer than some would like, it’s enough of a cushion that the Devils could survive.
Markstrom, while being one of the best goalies and carrying him team while making multiple Save of the Year Candidates, was always a long shot to win the Vezina Trophy. No matter how good Markstrom has been, Connor Hellebuyck has been better. Ironically, Markstrom was hoping for an injury to Hellebuyck to get in the race. Hellebuyck is a legit Hart Trophy candidate, so the Vezina is assumed.
But still, Markstrom was expected to be in the race and could have had an invite to the NHL Awards show. With this injury, that’s probably out of the window. While a month or so isn’t a lot when looking at the season as a whole, those who are in the awards conversation have to be the best of the best, and Markstrom’s best chance was the fact that he was playing a Martin Brodeur-level of games this season. Being injured changes that narrative.
Markstrom is still great and well worth the trade that brought him here from the Calgary Flames. The Devils needed someone to make them a playoff contender, and Markstrom helped the Devils bank enough points to get them there. Now, they need him to put them in title contention, and that means the most important thing for now is to get him fully healthy for the stretch run and the playoffs.