Are the Devils Still in the Driver’s Seat for Jacob Markstrom

Devils and Flames Continue to Work on a Jacob Markstrom Trade

Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period joined Steve Kouleas and Martin Biron on the Sirius XM NHL Network Radio Power Play segment and was asked about Jacob Markstrom and if there was a pathway to the Devils and Flames making a deal.

** NHLRumors.com transcription

NHL Rumors: Jacob Markstrom is a Perfect Fit for the Devils

Steve Kouleas: “Number two on your list is Jacob Markstrom. You have four teams in the mix, Toronto and Ottawa, which are pushing hard. You reported last week Carolina and New Jersey. Is New Jersey still the front-runner? If so, why have they not pulled the trigger on this trade?”

Dave Pagnotta: “This is a funny time of year where, you know, just under two weeks before the is about two weeks after the (Scouting) Combine gets going. When everybody gets all excited around the Combine, everybody’s together. Let’s talk about this. Let’s talk about that. Keep the conversation going in the next few days after, and then let’s see who calls first who’s gonna blink. Who’s gonna pick up the phone, who’s more desperate?

So now we’re in this low period, and I think Calgary and New Jersey are in this little chicken game of who’s going to call first. Who’s going to budge first? I still think there’s a pathway between Calgary and New Jersey to get Markstrom there. He wants to go there. He’s willing to waive. He’s made that perfectly clear.

They’ve had parameters of a deal already in place earlier. It’s a matter of just getting to that finish line. They expand on it. Maybe that’s part of it. Jersey’s looking for an offensive piece and Andrew Manigiapane’s name is out there as well.

NHL Rumors: New Jersey Devils To Explore A Jacob Markstrom Trade Once Again

He’s also on our trade watch list. That’s a potential for something significantly larger, and maybe that’s where the 10th overall picks comes into play from the Jersey perspective but this is a team that Alex Holtz was a player that they talked about during the season. Maybe they go back to that. Calgary doesn’t want a goalie back.

They’re gonna roll with (Dan) Vladar and (Dustin) Wolf. I still think there’s, and my gut and my main guess is that he ends up in New Jersey. Ottawa has been pushing but Ottawa wants to move Joonas Korpisalo. That’s not a fit for Calgary. And I don’t know, I don’t know this 100% yet, but I haven’t gotten the sense that Jacob Markstrom is as willing to waive for Ottawa as he is for New Jersey. So that’s the other major factor.”