The New Jersey Devils were desperate for a goalie. It was the worst-kept secret in the NHL. It was the reason goalie trades weren’t happening, and it was also the reason why teams changed their ask after the Devils finally got out of the goalie market. When the Devils finally traded for Jacob Markstrom, we saw the Boston Bruins quickly trade former Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark to a division rival for a disappointing return.
The Devils got Markstrom, and that’s all that mattered. After posting some of the worst goaltending in the league, and probably would be the worst in the league if they didn’t trade for Jake Allen after it was too late, the Devils needed to find a legit starter this offseason. Markstrom is clearly a really good goalie.
How good are they expecting him to be? Markstrom was at one point elite, but that’s probably not who he is today. He is 34 years old, and most goalies tend to fall off at this point. It’s actually pretty hard to find a similar goalie to Jacob Markstrom. Marc-Andre Fleury was always inconsistent. However, Markstrom is another player who has been up and down. Can we hope Markstrom has a season or two of superstardom left in him? It’s definitely possible.
The issue is Markstrom likely won’t do it for both seasons he’s in New Jersey. It’s not that the Devils were going to find someone who could and decided not to pay for them, there are only a few really good, consistent goalies.
It would have been great if the Devils could have acquired Igor Shesterkin or Ilya Sorokin, but we’re sure teams thought it would be nice if they could get Martin Brodeur in his prime. Those players don’t go anywhere.
Markstrom was the next best thing. While Ullmark was traded for next to nothing, that wouldn’t have been the price for the Devils. They’d have to pay out the nose. Instead, they were able to trade a young defenseman in Kevin Bahl and a protected first-round pick for Markstrom at a contract worth about $4 million per season.
The Devils do have a backup plan in Allen, but playing him too often comes with a price. If he plays more than 41 games, the Devils third-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens becomes a second-round pick. They also have Nico Daws, who just signed a new contract today that shows they still have a lot of faith in him.
Markstrom is incredibly important to this team, but the Devils still have to prepare for him to be average or slightly above average. He is one season removed from being abjectly terrible, but there were many factors involved that won’t take place here. If Markstrom is average, especially against normal chances with this newly revamped defense, that should be enough to get this Devils team in a much better position.