The Calgary Flames bid goodbye over the summer to another member of their most recent playoff squad, trading goaltender Jacob Markstrom to the New Jersey Devils and receiving a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and defenseman Kevin Bahl in return.
The hope for the Devils was that Markstrom would provide a steady presence between the pipes and become the first true starter for the team in a decade since the departure of franchise icon and Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur.
Friday night marked Markstrom’s return to Calgary, as he and the rest of his Devils teammates took on the Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome. And while the game didn’t go according to plan for the visiting Devils, Markstrom had nothing but good things to say about the fans who once cheered for him, via Devils.com.
“The fans here, they were great my whole time here, and the city, too,” Markstrom said afterward. “So it was for sure special. I wanted to come out of here with two points, but that is what it is. But obviously, the fans were great.”
The Flames walked away with the two points thanks to a 3-0 win and a shutout from Dan Vladar, who backed up Markstrom during his time in Calgary but still looks up to him and considers him a friend.
(Markstrom is) such a great person and we are still really good friends, and obviously, I cheer for him,” Vladar said. “So for me, going into tonight’s game, I was not nervous but I didn’t feel comfortable, to be honest, playing against Marky.”
The Devils will continue their Canadian road swing by taking on the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night.
Jacob Markstrom is in his first year with the Devils
Acquired by the Devils during the offseason, Markstrom was the goaltender who backstopped the Flames to their most recent playoff series win—a thrilling seven-game battle against the Dallas Stars in 2022, sealed by the late Johnny Gaudreau’s overtime goal in the decisive game.
It’s been an up-and-down tenure with the Devils so far for the Swedish native, who is 5-4-1 with a 2.62 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage. His first shutout with New Jersey came against another former club of his, as he blanked the Vancouver Canucks earlier in the week.
