Jacob Markstrom blocks trade to Toronto: here's what went down

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Graham Montgomery
June 21, 2024 (9:21)

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Jacob Markstrom has officially been trade to the New Jersey Devils, crossing off one more name from the list of possible goalie solutions for the Toronto Maple Leafs this summer.

The Devils announced the trade yesterday after nearly a year of rumors linking Markstrom to the team. The Devils and Flames were reportedly talking about a possible deal at the deadline this season, but nothing materialized. Now the team has got their goalie, giving up defenseman Kevin Bahl and a 1st round pick in exchange.

‼️ JACOB MARKSTROM IS A NEW JERSEY DEVIL ‼️

The @NJDevils have acquired Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames.

Throughout this process there were very few rumors linking Markstrom to other teams. Why is that? One strong possibility has to do with his no-movement-clause. Markstrom has a full no-move clause which allows him to veto any trade he does not personally agree with.

Furthermore, playing for Canadian teams is not very popular with many players and Toronto is a popular destination for team's no-trade lists. Given how much power Markstrom had in this trade, it seems like he basically told the Flames he wanted to go to New Jersey and left them to figure the rest out.

"I do feel that Markstrom had a major say in where he was going to go - that no-movement clause - but would he have been open to going to Toronto? I think if the Leafs were having conversations and potentially making an offer on Markstrom, that's because the answer would have been yeah, Markstrom was open to going to Toronto. But was he like 'okay, if i have to go Toronto then I'll go to Toronto but really I want New Jersey, so make it work with the Devils and then if you absolutely cannot make it work'."

With Markstrom off the board, there are few starting goaltenders left available both in free agency and on the trade market. As such, they may very well turn to Joseph Woll, who was excellent in a small sample size during the playoffs.

Joseph Woll this postseason:

� 2 games played
� 32 saves on 33 shots
� .970 sv%
� 1.729 goals saved above expected/60 (2nd in NHL behind Swayman)
� 1 goal against in 79:49 time on ice

Toronto has a goalie.

That being said, the young Woll already has an injury history and he only has 36 games of NHL experience. For these reasons the Leafs will want someone with starting experience to pair with him next season, even if the plan is to hand the reigns over to Woll. Be sure to stay tuned to see who that could be.

Source: MapleLeafsDaily
Jacob Markstrom reportedly blocked a trade to Toronto