As the NHL trade deadline is rapidly approaching, more teams are beginning to inquire about different players. Perhaps the most popular trade candidate at the moment is Jacob Markstrom, goaltender for the Calgary Flames. So which teams in the Metropolitan Division are linked to the star goalie? The New Jersey Devils and the Carolina Hurricanes.

Although the Flames got off to a very rough start this season and will be big time sellers at the deadline, Markstrom is one of, if not the only, consistently good player on this team. He sits at a 0.916 save percentage, with 2.50 goals against average. He also has two shutouts to his name and holds a winning record for the team when he is in net, compared to the Flames current losing record.

Markstrom’s last game against the New York Rangers, was certainly a spectacle, as he made some brilliant saves, while the Flames lost 2-0. Besides the loss, Markstrom played a flawless game, making two highlight reel saves; most likely catching the eyes of a few teams in need of a tender.

After the game it was reported that Markstrom agreed to waive his no-move clause in order to get a deal done with the New Jersey Devils, which was huge news in the NHL world. However, due to salary retention issues, the move fell through and people are still wondering if the two sides can make it work. They still have time to sort the details out, as the fall through does not mean that they can’t try again.

New Jersey’s goaltending has struggled all year between Vitek Vanecek, Akira Schmid, and Nico Daws. Acquiring Markstrom, would mean that the Devils playoff push is for real, while they sit at fourth place in the Metro. One of the more recent Devils games ended with the team winning 3-1 against the Seattle Kraken, all while Nico Daws posted a 0.964 save percentage. After the game, Devils star player, Jack Hughes, had a few comments on the goalie situation.

Maybe this means that Hughes was finally happy with his own goaltending, or maybe there is something more cryptic about his quote. It could be a hint that he wants his team to go out and get a star player to put between the pipes, but only time will tell with the whole situation.

While New Jersey and Calgary still have time to negotiate and work things out, the extended effort between the two teams, leaves a chance for other teams to swoop in. The most recent news is that the Carolina Hurricanes are now linked to Markstrom. Carolina has had their own goalie issues this year, while they are still competing for the first place spot in the division. This would be a trade that would make the Hurricanes go from elite, to even more elite; a very scary thought for the other seven teams in the Metro.

Details have not been announced on the matter, but one can only imagine the haul that Calgary will be getting back with a trade like this. The two rivals, Carolina and New Jersey, will be doing everything in their power to ensure that their team will be getting a premiere player at the one position they struggle with.