One of the final parting gifts Tom Fitzgerald left the New Jersey Devils was a contract extension to Jacob Markstrom. It was announced on Halloween that the 35-year-old struggling goalie was given a two-year contract extension at the same cap hit as his previous one, $6 million AAV. The Calgary Flames retained his salary when the Devils sent a first-round pick and Kevin Bahl, so the Devils were not paying the full price tag.
With the contract extension, the Devils would now be on the hook for two more years. At the time of the extension, Markstrom was struggling mightily, getting older, and there were no signs of him getting his old form back. In fact, Markstrom let in eight goals three days before the extension was announced. The move was not received well by fans.
It was another move by then-general manager Tom Fitzgerald that did not work out and led to his inevitable and overdue firing.
In the new deal, however, Markstrom did not receive a No-Movement Clause, as he did with the previous contract that he signed with the Flames. The NMC downgrades to a 20-team no-trade list on July 1st, the official start of the NHL's new calendar year.
While it may take some effort to move the contract, it is not immovable like some of the other gems Fitzgerald left current Devils General Manager, Sunny Mehta. Moving Markstrom will free up $6 million to either upgrade the goaltender position or add a top-six forward.
A team that needs a goalie and would theoretically not be on the 20 teams Markstrom would not accept a trade to is the Florida Panthers. Now, the Panthers have their own salary cap issues. They have around $6 million to spend, according to PuckPedia. Just enough to fit a player like Markstrom. There are rumors that they are trying to acquire Connor Hellebuyck from the Winnipeg Jets, they just do not have the assets to do it.
It is clear why the Devils would move on from Markstrom. But why would the Panthers help the Devils get out from under the contract? For starters, they have no goalies under contract. Markstrom would cost significantly less than Hellebuyck. The current crop of free agents is not the greatest in net either. It has also been rumored that pending Panthers UFA goalie Sergei Bobrovsky wants a lot more than the Panthers are willing to give him.
Once Nico Hischier is signed, Jacob Markstrom must be Sunny Mehta's priority
It would make sense for a team like Florida to get a goalie like Markstrom, who is only under contract for two more years. The Panthers are a team that can outscore their problems. The Panthers have proven in the past that they do not need a world beater to win multiple Stanley Cups. If Markstrom can provide average goaltending and step up in big moments, he will fit right in with the Panthers.
The Panthers might even be able to get an asset from New Jersey to take on Markstrom's contract. But to make any trade work, there will need to be money coming the other way. Players such as Evan Rodrigues and Eetu Luostarainen are pending free agents next offseason. Even with the salary cap exploding next season, they may only be able to keep one of them, not both, as they have other spots in their forward core to fill out.
A trade involving Markstrom and a sweetener for Rodrigues or Luostarainen makes sense for both teams. The Devils move on from a goalie that has simply not worked out and acquire a winning veteran that can help out the depth of the roster. The Panthers get a goalie at far less of a price than they would have to spend on Hellebuyck or even Bobrovsky in free agency, and get an asset for taking on the contract.
The next obvious question for the Devils would be: who takes Markstrom's place? The Devils would only have Jake Allen in the net. That is something that Mehta will have to have a contingency plan for. As of right now, not having Markstrom on the roster is better than having him on it in the Devils' current state.
Sunny Mehta has already made a few trades since taking over as general manager. With Markstrom's new contract kicking in soon, his top priority should be to move on from it and start cleaning up the mess that was given to him.
A deal with his former team makes too much sense for the new Devils boss.
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