The move makes the Flames younger and helps set them up for the future
Author of the article:
Daniel Austin
Published Jun 19, 2024 • Last updated 6days ago • 2 minute read
On Wednesday morning, the Calgary Flames finally made the move everyone was waiting for when they flipped Jacob Markstrom to the New Jersey Devils.
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What to know: Calgary Flames trade Jacob Markstrom to New Jersey Devils Back to video
They got Kevin Bahl — who is young but already has established himself in the NHL — and a draft pick. Maybe it’s not the spit-out-your-coffee return some were hoping for, but the move makes the Flames younger and helps set them up for the future.
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Here’s what to know:
What the Flames gave up
Put plainly, Markstrom is one of the NHL’s best goalies.
While his numbers last season don’t quite stack up with the league’s super elite, that’s in part because he was in net for a team that was going through constant upheaval and took a while to figure out new head coach Ryan Huska’s defensive system early in the season.
Since signing with the Flames in 2020, Markstrom provided stability at one of the most important positions on the ice. The Devils got a good one.
What they got back
In Kevin Bahl, the Flames got a 23-year-old defenceman who established himself as an everyday NHLer over the past two seasons. He was drafted in the second round by the Arizona Coyotes in 2018, but has played parts of four seasons with the Devils, including all 82 games last year.
At 6-foot-6 and weighing in at 230 lbs., he’s got real size and while he doesn’t pitch in a ton on offence — he scored once and added 10 assists last year — he is responsible in his own end and his physical presence is something the Flames blueline was lacking.
The Flames also got a top-10 protected pick in the 2025 NHL draft from the Devils. That means they now have two first-rounders in the next three drafts.
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What it tells us
This trade doesn’t make the Flames better next season, but it clears the way for Dustin Wolf to be a full-time NHLer and makes them a lot younger.
At 34 years old, the Flames weren’t going to be Cup contenders during the window in which Markstrom was still going to be an elite goalie, so moving him made sense.
Whether they’re calling it a rebuild or a retool or a re-whatever, the Flames are all in on getting younger and building for the future. This trade is just the latest proof.
daustin@postmedia.com
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