Markstrom on waiving NTC for New Jersey: “They’ve got something going there looking at their roster…I know a bunch of players who’ve played there and absolutely loved it. Can’t wait to make it my home.”
— Bill Spaulding (@BillSpaulding) June 19, 2024
This has been a prevailing narrative around the New Jersey Devils for a while. After years where they did seem like the lesser of the three New York-area teams, the Devils are changing how players and others are looking at this team. This isn't a team you go to when the New York Rangers say no. This is now a team that's on the top of teams' lists.
One could see how excited Markstrom was to come to New Jersey. Part of that is the roster and we imagine part of that was this saga finally being over for him and his family, but he seemed genuinely excited to move to the Garden State.
This has been a years long journey for Tom Fitzgerald and the Devils. It takes more than a few emails and a good pitchman. The Devils have been making some bold moves to make sure nobody leaves unhappy. Whether it's turning Pavel Zacha into Erik Haula or sending Reilly Walsh to Boston when they didn't have room for him, the Devils made it a point to find what's best for everyone, even if it wasn't in New Jersey.
This all started with Dougie Hamilton, who was teammates with Markstrom in 2020-21. The Devils pulled out all the stops to show Hamilton why this was the right place for him. Hamilton had an interesting reputation when he left Carolina, but it's completely different in New Jersey. He's loved here. Markstrom hopes to do the same thing.