The New Jersey Devils are being connected to Jordan Kyrou and Mason McTavish this offseason, and Jacob Markstrom's name is now surfacing in trade rumors as well.
IB the Gambler posted Saturday night that Markstrom trade chatter is picking up around New Jersey, with Kyrou and McTavish also named as players Sunny Mehta is monitoring.
The account had the Connor Brown signing before it went public and has been a reliable Devils source. The Mug NHL vouched for the credibility of the report on X.
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That context matters heading into what figures to be a busy summer in Newark.
Markstrom went 15-19 this past season with a .883 save percentage in 44 starts, his backup Jake Allen actually outposted him at .903 in 37 games.
That kind of numbers split, on a $6 million cap hit, is exactly the kind of problem that makes a front office start shopping.
A -24 goal differential and a leaky crease - the Devils have more than one issue to fix
New Jersey finished 42-37-3, 87 points, 21st overall. They scored 230 goals and surrendered 254.
That -24 differential is not a goaltending problem alone. It's a structural one.
The forwards are good. Jack Hughes put up 77 points in 61 games. Nico Hischier posted 66. Jesper Bratt chipped in 71 across a full 82-game schedule.
But the crease and the bottom of the roster clearly cost them games they should have won.
Kyrou is 28, sitting at an $8.125 million cap hit in St. Louis, and finished with 46 points in 72 games. Solid, not elite. His last ten were quiet, just one goal.
McTavish is only 23 in Anaheim, carrying a $7 million number with 41 points in 75 games and a -15 rating. The Devils would be betting on the upside.
Whether Mehta is upgrading the crease, adding a forward, or doing both this summer, one thing is clear: 87 points was not good enough, and Sheldon Keefe's second year on the bench needs a better roster underneath him.
Should Tom Fitzgerald move on from Jacob Markstrom this offseason?
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