A goaltender the Edmonton Oilers once highly coveted might be going back on the market. According to Kevin Weekes, "Per sources, although a deal isn’t imminent, I’m told the New Jersey Devils are gauging market interest from clubs on G Markstrom." Markstrom has two more seasons on his current contract at a cap hit of $6 million. The Oilers were heavily in on Markstrom when he hit free agency in October 2020. Then-GM Ken Holland was reportedly prepared to offer him seven years at $5 million per season. He chose instead to join the Calgary Flames. At the time, Markstrom was coming out of Vancouver and many believed the two sides were going to get a deal done. However, Calgary got in at the last minute with a six-year contract worth $36 million USD — $6 million per season. When Holland chased Markstrom in free agency, he had asked Mike Smith to wait on the sidelines until things with Markstrom had been figured out. With Markstrom off the board, the Oilers pivoted back to Smith. Not long after (in 2022), the Oilers signed Jack Campbell. Interestingly, after Markstrom got to Calgary, the Oilers repeatedly torched him. In his thirteen regular season games against the Oilers as a Flame, he posted a .880 SV% and a GAA of 3.67, holding a record of 6–7–0. The Flames eventually traded Markstrom to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for defenseman Kevin Bahl and a top-10 protected 2025 first-round pick, with Calgary retaining 31.25% of his remaining salary. This past season, he posted a 3.07 GAA and a .883 save percentage across 44 games. One could argue the Oilers' goaltending issues began when the Markstrom deal fell apart. They've struggled to find consistency since. Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers/] team site to never miss the latest news [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers/latest-news], game-day [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers/game-day] coverage, and more [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers/players]. Add us to your Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwn-DfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] favourites, and never miss a story.
