It’s never been a secret that Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom is a competitive individual.
The 34-year-old wants to win, and the Flames have struggled to do that over the past two seasons. Given where they are as an organization, speculation has increased not only on Markstrom being traded, but also that he wants to move on.
Though the Flames are working the phone lines regarding a Markstrom trade, they may not be fully sold on moving him. In a recent appearance on The Jeff Marek Show, Elliotte Friedman stated that he believes Flames management still has hope they can be the winning team that Markstrom desires.
“He wants to play for a team that is in a winning situation,” Friedman said. “I believe Calgary has not given up on the possibility that it could be them.”
Though Friedman did state this is his belief, he has arguably stronger connections than any other insider in the NHL. The fact he is saying this is troublesome to many Flames fans, as they believe this team should be more focused on building towards the future rather than being competitive right away.
Despite the Flames possibly being hesitant about moving Markstrom, they may not have any choice in the matter. The Swedish netminder wasn’t thrilled with how the organization handled speculation regarding him being a possible trade candidate this past season, and comments in his end-of-season media availability didn’t make it seem as though he would be super excited to return in 2024-25.
“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.”
Both the New Jersey Devils and Ottawa Senators have reportedly shown interest in Markstrom and could make strong pushes to acquire him. For the time being, speculation surrounding his future is only going to continue.
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