3 Trades To Send Noah Hanifin, Jacob Markstrom to New Jersey Devils`
The New Jersey Devils have been rumored to be in talks with the Calgary Flames on two stars. What would it cost to bring in Noah Hanifin, Jacob Markstrom, or both?
The New Jersey Devils have been devastated by injuries this season. Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, Ondrej Palat, Tomas Nosek, and Nolan Foote are all currently out of the lineup. Brendan Smith had to move from his better position of forward to move back to defense after the Devils lost Jonas Siegenthaler to a broken foot. Dougie Hamilton is out until the playoffs most likely with a torn pectoral muscle. It has the Devils pushing Simon Nemec and Luke Hughes to new heights, as the rookies are being asked to play much bigger roles.
On top of the injuries, the Devils have been dealing with league-worst goaltending. Vitek Vanecek is rolling with an -11.5 goals saved above average. That ranks 83rd in the league. For those keeping count, most teams have two goalies, so he's theoretically worse than all starters and almost all backups. Akira Schmid hasn't been much better, and Nico Daws is coming off a major hip injury.
The Devils need a defenseman, likely a top-four defenseman, and a starting goalie. There are many starting goalies available. However, the top option that's actually available might be Jacob Markstrom. He's older with a scary contract, but he's good right now. The Flames are in a unique position where they also have Noah Hanifin, and they can pair the two together in a deal. The Devils are also in a unique position where they have multiple players eligible for long-term injured reserve. Hamilton himself will get them $9 million in theoretical cap space.
With the Devils having the capacity to make a deal work, what would it actually cost to get Hanifin, Markstrom, or both? Some will cost more than others.
Markstrom
Let's start with the smallest of the three trades, but the one that might be most likely. Jacob Markstrom is going to be the hardest for the Flames to trade, so he will likely come with the easiest price. The Devils need a goalie, but almost nobody who wants a goalie is willing to go two more years after this one at $6 million per. The Maple Leafs just gave William Nylander $11 million and can't afford another risk in net after this season. The Hurricanes can't afford him on the roster. Neither can the Oilers.
The Devils know the goalie market is insane, so they might go for the most bang for their buck, even if it means a risk later on. Markstrom would be the goalie of note, at least this season and next. Then, if he's good, they'll keep him throughout the rest of his contract. If not, they could always buy out the last year of his deal.
Markstrom's contract tanks his value. It's a huge risk for whichever team takes him on. That's why his value to the Devils would be a 2025 second-round pick and prospect Zakhar Bardakov. It's not a great prospect, but he's not necessarily a bad one, either. It's not like another team can match this deal. The Flames outright refuse to retain salary, and that is likely not a Brad Treliving policy. It comes from higher up than him. So, with that policy in place, the Flames are stuck with the Devils as suitors.
Hanifin Trade
The Calgary Flames are selling this season, but they don't want to sell to the point that they go into a full-blown rebuild. Getting a decent haul for Hanifin would make sense from multiple angles. They are getting supreme assets for a player who was likely leaving at the end of the season. They also send him to a market he might want to re-sign in, which raises his value. They can also use the pieces they get from the Devils to either retool the roster or make trades that help their roster in 2024-25.
Noah Hanifin is exactly what the Devils need right now. Even if Siegenthaler is back in a month or two, the Devils are sorely missing what Ryan Graves brought last season. The left side has been the weak side, even with Luke Hughes playing well. Hanifin gives the Devils a top-line player who is responsible in his own end.
Hanifin is playing well in all three zones this season. He isn't a superstar, but he's doing his job everywhere. The Devils just need a player who does his job on defense. They are making way too many mistakes, and with the goalies they have, it's ending up in the back of the net.
It would hurt to give up a first-round pick, but the conditions the Devils would be forced to put on it would hurt even more. If the Devils go to the Eastern Conference Finals, they have to give their pick to the San Jose Sharks. The Flames would want the condition to be a 2025 first-round pick, but we don't see the Devils doing that. It's probably multiple middle-round picks if that's the case.
All of It
Here is where Tom Fitzgerald puts all his chips on the table. It's rare that two huge names are traded in the same deal, but it's happened before. The Devils would be a completely different team if they traded for Hanifin and Markstrom at the same time. If the Ducks (or any other team for that matter) retain $2 million on Markstrom's contract, that makes the Markstrom and Hanifin hit at $8.95 million this season. That's almost exactly what Dougie Hamilton's LTIR relief will be, giving the Devils a chance to avoid playing cap gymnastics for the rest of the season.
That will cost the Devils a lot. Some will say this isn't enough, and others will say it's too much to give up. Akira Schmid just saved the Devils season less than a year ago, beating the Rangers almost single handedly. This season, he hasn't been nearly as good, but he's not "scrap heap" bad. He still has a lot of talent.
The Devils avoid trading Seamus Casey and the remaining rights of their first-round pick by giving up Schmid. The Flames think they have their goalie of the future in Dustin Wolf, but he hasn't exactly impressed to start his career. This gives the Flames a backup plan, just in case. They also get Lenni Hameenaho, the Devils' second-round pick who already looks like he could be first-round value. He was really good for Finland at the World Juniors this season. The Devils would also throw in Nathan Bastian, who might thrive in a Calgary system that plays to his strengths.
The biggest snag in this trade is if the Ducks would take on $2 million for three years for just a third-round pick. They might be asking for that Devils second-round pick, if not more. However, it makes this trade much easier, so maybe the Devils or the Flames add a little something for the Ducks to sweeten the pot.
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