The Senators made calls about Markstrom, as several teams did, but the Calgary Flames dealt him on Wednesday to the New Jersey Devils.

The Ottawa Senators are well aware they need improved goaltending this fall. Senior Vice-President of Hockey Operations Dave Poulin said as much at a season ticket holder event last week.

"The team is not happy with the goaltending tandem," Poulin said. "But I don't think the goaltending tandem was happy with the goaltending tandem."

When asked if the required improvement this fall can happen if they ran it back with the same two goalies, Poulin was non-committal.

"It can, but I think that's still to be determined," Poulin said.

One possible attempt at a solution was seen as Calgary Flames veteran Jacob Markstrom, a 34-year-old with two years left on his contract. His $6 million cap hit is the seventh-highest in the league. For months, it's been widely assumed that the 6-foot-6 Swede was on the trade block.

The Senators had made preliminary calls to the Flames to check on his price tag but obviously chose not to proceed for one of many possible reasons. It might have been his age, salary, or no-movement clause. Or the Senators simply didn't believe Markstrom was their best option.

It's a moot point now, as the Flames made a deal with the Devils on Wednesday.

Markstrom was traded to New Jersey for former Ottawa 67s defenceman Kevin Bahl and a top-10 protected 2025 pick. Calgary will also retain 31.25 percent of Markstrom's remaining contract.

The Devils were on record saying they would consider moving this year's 10th overall pick, but the Flames were willing to proceed without it. New Jersey had also been kicking the tires on Markstrom back in March. While the discussions fell apart, they obviously helped lay the groundwork for this deal.

The list of the hottest names on the goalie trade bait board is now a two-man list. Nashville's Juuse Saros and Boston's Linus Ullmark are both available for the right price. But both have just one year left on their deals. Saros has zero trade protection, while Ullmark has a 15-team no-trade list.

As with Markstrom, if the Senators are interested in either of these goalies, they'll have plenty of competition, which will surely drive up their team's asking price.