If the New Jersey Devils want to have any hope of making the playoffs again and making a serious push, they're going to need even bigger and better things from starting goalie Jacob Markstrom.
Markstrom, 35, finished his first season with the Devils with a 26-16-6 record, a 2.50 GAA, a .900 save percentage, and four shutouts.
The seasoned Swede was on pace for much better totals, but a winter injury and the time it took him to get back up to speed hampered his numbers and performance for some time.
Jacob Markstrom will be key to New Jersey Devils' success
In the playoffs, though? Markstrom helped pull a hapless Devils team to a win against the heavily-favored Carolina Hurricanes, posting a 2.78 GAA and .911 save percentage across those five brutal games.
But, going forward, the Devils are going to need Markstrom to put it all together at once, and it's going to be increasingly difficult given his advanced age.
Injuries are undoubtedly a factor, and Markstrom has one season with a save percentage greater than .905 since the 2019-20 season.
That is a big part of why the Devils retained Jake Allen for as long as they did, and it's up to Markstrom to show that he's still the top dog in New Jersey. Nico Daws is still around, too, but if the Devils were so confident in him, they probably would have let Allen go to save the money and the cap space.
By extension, it means the Devils know their future in goal isn't as clear-cut, or isn't on the roster just yet. That puts an even greater emphasis on Markstrom to hold it down this season, and, potentially, a few seasons in the future as well.
The 6-foot-6 netminder is under contract with the Devils for one more season at a $4.125 million cap hit and is technically eligible to sign a contract extension to remain in New Jersey going forward.
If or when that happens remains to be seen, but perhaps the Devils will be willing to talk shop if Markstrom starts the season hot as he did a year ago.