Jacob Markstrom is on the outside looking in for the Devils, especially because they are set to hit some serious cap trouble.
NHL insider Kevin Weekes tweeted that while a deal is not imminent at this moment, the New Jersey Devils are exploring a trade and moving on from longtime veteran backstop Jacob Markstrom.
However, the real reason is that Markstrom is on a semi-expensive deal that is two more years at a $ 6 million AAV and that the New Jersey Devils do not have a significant amount of cap space, and Nico Hischier is going to be a prime extension candidate hitting free agency next season.
Kevin Weekes says New Jersey is exploring the market on Markstrom, though a deal is not imminent
This has a lot more to do with the recent hiring of general manager Sunny Mehta and what his plans are going forward, externally putting his name out there in the media, dangling the carrot to have people come to you with offers about one of your players.
One reality is that Markstrom makes far too much for the kind of performer he is, and New Jersey has some cap problems going forward, so freeing up salary by dumping Markstrom is a smart move.
Even having the long time Swedish goal keeper off the roster may be addition by subtraction. He was awful last season bosting a career worst .833 save percentage, which is around replacement level.
Given his cap hit, his age, and the fact that the Devils' netminder has a 20-team no-trade list next season, his options might be limited, but he could be viewed as a low-risk buy-low candidate who could bounce back next season, given that teams might not have to give up very much.
Matter of fact, we might see New Jersey have to attach draft capital alongside Markstrom for a team to take on that contract, though the Devils' cap problems clear up more over the next two to three seasons.
Clearing their goalie's salary is one way the Devils afford to keep Nico Hischier long term
With the salary cap set to explode over the next couple of seasons, so players' salaries also inflate as well.
Nico Hischier is currently making $7.25 million next season before becoming a free agent; his leverage over the Devils is quite large. The former number-one overall pick in the 2017 draft is a great two-way player who averages nearly a point per game.
With his level of play and age, his extension could genuinely be in the 12-15 million dollar range, and if he hits free agency, we could see the bidding reach levels of unfathomably high for a player of his calibre.
So it makes sense that creating cap room in order to keep a player like Hischier, even if offloading Markstrom gets you a negligible return or you even have to pay.
Extending Hischier makes a ton of sense; he fits the Devils' current timeline with all of their best players making below market value despite still being young, and optically it does not bode well for Sunny Mehta if he lets Hischier walk in free agency.
If Leaf fans wonder how it impacts them, look at it like this. There is a certain team in the Maple Leafs division, the Montreal Canadiens, who have been looking at making another splash trade for a star-calibre player, originally it wasMatthew Knies, and if Knies is not available, an option at the 2C for the Habs could be Nico Hischier if Mehta is forced to trade him because they do not have enough salary cap room.
If Hischier is locked down long-term by the Devils, it keeps the Leafs' biggest rival every so slightly weaker, and the Leafs need all the help they can get to be good again next season.
Where will Nico Hischier be traded to or extended?
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