Jacob Markstrom // Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
The New Jersey Devils went out and got their man this summer in Jacob Markstrom, but that could mean bad news for the Montreal Canadiens.
After spending most of the 2023-2024 season plagued by bad and inconsistent goaltending, Devils’ GM Tom Fitzgerald has seemingly rectified his organization’s biggest weakness in a matter of months.
They first acquired Jake Allen from the Montreal Canadiens at the NHL Trade Deadline, and then snagged Markstrom from the Calgary Flames in June, bolstering a clear position of need.
But, for the Montreal Canadiens, the Markstrom acquisition puts a little damper on a trade condition that was snuck into the Jake Allen trade.
New Jersey Devils Found Their Man
The Devils had seemingly found their guy and had initially planned to acquire Markstrom prior to the NHL Trade Deadline, but couldn’t close the deal in time.
But, even though they couldn’t pull the trigger in the spring, Fitzgerald knew that Markstrom was willing to come to New Jersey and that he would circle back on him in the offseason.
“The deadline is the deadline so. …you don’t really have leverage but the only leverage we did have was the kid had a complete no-move clause and we knew he wanted to be in New Jersey,’ said Fitzgerald in an interview with RG.org’s Jimmy Murphy. “At the end of the day though, we couldn’t make a deal and that’s the business we’re in. They knew though that my intent was to get back on that horse in the offseason and to continue to pursue this.”
However, even though Markstrom was the ultimate target, the Devils knew they needed to acquire more than one goaltender to be able to not only make the playoffs, but go on a prolonged run.
“He’s (Markstrom) the guy we targeted for sure, but my job isn’t just to find one goalie and get one goalie, it’s to improve our goaltending. …With whoever at this point.”
The other goalie they targeted was Jake Allen, but was it more of an insurance policy than the acquisition of a 1B goaltender?
How This Impacts the Montreal Canadiens
After the Devils missed out on Markstrom prior to the NHL Trade Deadline, they concluded a trade with the Canadiens, sending Jake Allen to the Tri-State area in exchange for a conditional 2025 third-round pick.
Not only did the Canadiens retained 50% of Allen's $3.85M cap hit, but the trade included two interesting conditions to the draft pick that will be directly impacted by the Markstrom acquisition.
The 2025 third-round pick could become a 2nd-round pick should Allen play 40 games during the 2024-25 season and his team (be it the Devils or another team he's traded to) makes the playoffs in 2025.
Allen's chances of seeing his team make the playoffs are looking pretty good after New Jersey added Brett Pesce and Markstrom to the fold this summer.
But, with the way that Fitzgerald and the Devils organization has been speaking of late, Allen’s chances of playing 40 games or more seem slim to none.
Markstrom Return To Form?
Anything can happen in hockey, when it comes to injuries or what not.
But, with all things being equal, Fitzgerald's comments confirm the organization's view on how the workload will be distributed moving forward.
Viewing Markstrom as a top-level goaltender capable of putting a team on his back is no small praise from an NHL GM. After all, Markstrom did keep what would become a lottery team in the playoff hunt far, far longer than they realistically should have been.
It's also worth noting that Markstrom hasn't played less than 48 games in a full season (excluding the two shortened seasons in 2020 and 2021) since 2016-17.
With that in mind, the likelihood of Allen achieving both of these trade conditions seem nearly impossible, outside of being traded mid-season or an unfortunate injury surfacing.
It's clear at this point that Fitzgerald acquired Jake Allen as a discounted veteran backup capable of bringing stability to the position behind an elite goaltender like Markstrom.
Nonetheless, a third-round pick for an aging goaltender with trade protection is still a solid return for general manager Kent Hughes.
A win-win for both franchises, that could have been a tad sweeter for the Canadiens before the Markstrom acquisition.
Marco D'Amico is a beat reporter covering the Montreal Canadiens and the NHL Draft, while also being a recurring guest on TSN690 and BPM Sports. His work primarily on NHL CBA breakdowns and prospect analysis, all while covering the Montreal Canadiens on a day-to-day basis.
