“I don’t know”: Markstrom casts doubt on future with Flames

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While nothing is set in stone, it seems as though Jacob Markstrom may have played his final game with the Calgary Flames.

Markstrom was involved in plenty of trade speculation leading into the deadline, and was apparently close to being shipped off to the New Jersey Devils. The deal failed to come to fruition, though it was reported shortly after that the two sides may look to revisit it in the offseason.

It was clear based on comments he made that Markstrom wasn’t happy with the way his trade situation was handled, leading some to believe he may prefer to play elsewhere. He didn’t remove that doubt when speaking to reporters today during his end-of-season media availability.

“I don’t know,” Markstrom said when asked about his future in Calgary. “What I do know, and what I tell you guys every day is that I love winning hockey games. I think that’s the competitive side of me. Every time I lace up the skates that’s something I want to accomplish.”

That said, he also had plenty of positives to say, crediting his teammates, the coaching staff, and Flames fans for their efforts and support through a season that had plenty of adversity.

“I’m really proud of everyone in the locker room, all the guys and the coaches,” Markstrom said. “Ryan Huska is a first-year head coach coming in, and I think he picked up a lot of experience from one season that some coaches don’t have to go through for a long time. I thought he handled it really good. Obviously, the support of the fans was amazing, too, throughout the whole season. I really appreciate that.”

That said, the overall vibe from this team isn’t nearly as doom-and-gloom as it felt a season ago. While Markstrom’s future is up in the air, several players made it clear that they want to be back and want to win in Calgary.

“My dream is to win, but my biggest dream is to win here in Calgary,” said Flames captain Mikael Backlund. “I think this retool is necessary for this organization, and I knew that going into this year. I’m excited for next year, I think good things are ahead of us.”

Another player some have wondered about is Nazem Kadri, who had one of the better seasons of his career with 29 goals and 75 points. When he signed a seven-year, $49 million deal in 2022, he did so with the expectations of joining a contender. Despite that not currently being the case, he seems to still be happy with the decision he made.

“I chose to be here,” Kadri said. “There were other options for me, I chose to be in Calgary. I still feel that way. Obviously, it was a frustrating season, a disappointing one, but hopefully, over the summertime, we can look to upgrade certain positions and have another crack at it next [season].”

The Flames will have some internal decisions to make ahead of free agency, as they have three pending UFAs in Oliver Kylington, Dennis Gilbert, and AJ Greer. Regardless of the future for those three, general manager Craig Conroy should have plenty of cap space heading into free agency, where he will certainly be able to make upgrades should he feel the need to do so.

Regardless of how that entire process plays out, things feel much more positive around this group than they did a year ago, which serves as a breath of fresh air for the fan base and bodes well for the future.

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