Jacob Markstrom

Flames GM Craig Conroy is admitting there was a mistake in the Markstrom trade, and that is never the kind of sentence a front office throws around lightly. Around the league, executives will tell you that trades age fast when a goalie situation gets messy, because the goaltending market has a habit of humbling everyone involved. Calgary is now dealing with the fallout of a call that has clearly become part of the summer conversation, and those are usually the ones that linger the longest.

The goaltending chatter around Jacob Markstrom has reached the point where teams start looking for old solutions in new places. A former Devils netminder is suddenly being framed as a possible fix, which tells you the market is searching for stability more than glamour. When a crease problem gets messy enough, every front office starts checking the basement for a name that can calm things down.

The Devils hand out their 2025-26 report cards, and Jacob Markstrom's season lands under the microscope after a pivotal trade that promised to steady the crease. Timo Meier faces similar scrutiny, with his power-forward game either delivering or disappointing amid New Jersey's push for the postseason. Front offices around the league watch these evaluations closely, as they signal potential summer moves in a cap-strapped market.