5 Trade Landing Spots for Jacob Markström Amid NHL Rumors

If there's a position that's always in demand every NHL offseason, it's goalie.

Next season, the league schedule goes from 82 to 84 games and having steady goaltending from multiple netminders will help carry a team deep into the season and the playoffs.

The New Jersey Devils just might have a veteran available in Jacob Markström to help out any team in need.

Markström's two-year, $12 million extension begins next season and after a very up-and-down season in which Jake Allen took over the No. 1 job and new GM Sunny Mehta arrived, a change may be at hand.

A change of scenery might do Markström good, and there's no shortage of teams in need of goaltending help. According to Kevin Weekes, the team is exploring moving him:

Who is out there to make a run at the 36-year-old who has twice finished in the top five for the Vezina? We've got a few ideas to kick around for Markström and the Devils alike.

Edmonton Oilers

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If there's a goalie available out there, the Oilers automatically have to be attached to them, right?

Understandably, things didn't go well for Markström last season. His .883 save percentage was below league average (.896), but it was substantially better than how Tristan Jarry performed for the Oilers last season (.858) and he went 13-5-6 in Edmonton.

Swapping Markström for Jarry might be the only way to make a move like this happen and, oddly enough, it would allow the Devils to cut salary since Jarry's $5.375 million cap hit is less than Markström's $6 million. Both players have two years left on their contract, and both players might not mind a change of scenery.

Both players have modified no-trade clauses, according to PuckPedia.com, with Markström having a 20-team no-trade list and Jarry a 12-team list. So, there are potentially some roadblocks here.

Markström's track record is a bit stronger than Jarry's so it would be an upgrade for the Oilers. With the motivation to prove himself yet again on a Stanley Cup contender, that could bring the best out of him yet again.

Winnipeg Jets

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There's a bit of a caveat with our idea to have the Winnipeg Jets acquire Jacob Markström. By "a bit" we mean "he would be part of a trade for Connor Hellebuyck."

A couple years ago, the Devils were reportedly front-runners in looking to add Hellebuyck when things got a bit stressful in Winnipeg. The situation changed and the Jets were the best team in the NHL a year ago.

This season, however, they were not, and Hellebuyck voiced his frustration during locker room clear-out day, which ignited trade speculation again. That should be all the motivation the Devils need to try to get to the front of the line for the three-time Vezina winner and 2025 MVP.

If the Jets are going to move Hellebuyck, getting Markström in return would be necessary to have another starting goalie as well as for balancing out salary in what would be a blockbuster trade involving more players.

If Hellebuyck is traded to another team that isn't the Devils, the Jets should still have New Jersey on the line to acquire about Markström to soften the blow of losing Hellebuyck.

Florida Panthers

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Here's a bit of a funky idea, how about a Jacob Markström reunion with the Florida Panthers?

The Panthers will need to work out a new deal with Sergei Bobrovsky as he's set to become a free agent on July 1. There's no reason to think he won't go back to Sunrise, but what if he doesn't?

The Panthers would suddenly be in a tough spot to solidify their goaltending as they try to return to the playoffs with a healthy team.

Bringing back Markström would allow for that and while his $6 million cap hit would be a big bite for the Panthers, it's $4 million lower than what they've paid Bobrovsky over the past few seasons.

The Panthers drafted Markström in the second round in 2008, and he spent the first few seasons of his career with them until he was traded to Vancouver for Roberto Luongo.

It would be poetic to see Markström return to where his career began to replace a franchise legend, much like he had to do with the Canucks to really get his pro career started in earnest.

It would also be fascinating to see how a trade like that would work out given what the Panthers have to work with to make a deal.

Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Blackhawks got a solid season from Spencer Knight this season and while Arvid Söderblom struggled as a backup, would they benefit by bringing Jacob Markström on board as a veteran guiding hand for Knight? It's worth pondering.

Knight showed he can be an outstanding goaltender last season but when his workload was stressed, things got tough. Having a veteran like Markström to help shoulder some of that responsibility would ideally get the best out of both players. The catch there, however, is that Markström didn't fare much better than Söderblom did.

Söderblom's .880 save percentage in 26 games (24 starts) was very close to Markström's .883 in 44 games (43 starts) and Söderblom's cap hit ($2.75 million) is nearly half of Markström's ($6 million). Cap space is not an issue for Chicago, but big-game experience is for them, particularly in goal. That's where having a guy like Markström could potentially pay off well.

Chicago needs a lot of tuning up this summer and better solidifying goaltending should be part of those plans. GM Kyle Davidson has enough assets to make any kind of trade work, but if finding a veteran goalie to pair with Knight is something he's looking to do, calling New Jersey might help him find an open connection.

Detroit Red Wings

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The good news for the Red Wings is they've got John Gibson in goal. The bad news is Dylan Larkin wants a trade and veteran backup goalie Cam Talbot is a free agent.

Unless the Red Wings want to back Gibson up with rookie Sebastian Cossa, they'll be in the market for a veteran to pair with Gibson and ideally one who can play a healthy number of games in case of injury.

Detroit has a lot on its plate because of Larkin's trade demand and figuring out what it's doing in goal beyond Gibson is probably not a priority. Adding Markström to their goalie collection should Talbot walk and they're uncomfortable with moving Cossa up would help secure the position.

If the Red Wings are going to lose Larkin, they're going to need to make sure everything else is locked down and then some. Making sure the goaltending is as close to airtight as possible by adding Markström would do that.

Then again, a lot of this kind of talk is preemptive coping for Wings fans who face the possibility of seeing their situation unravel in a matter of months.