"He can babysit for us"- Jacob Markstrom jokes about new Devils teammates upon completing trade from Flames

By Ankit Kumar

Modified Jun 19, 2024 19:40 GMT

Goaltender Jacob Markstrom shared some humorous remarks about his new teammates. He did so following his trade from the Calgary Flames to the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday. NHL insider Amanda Stein tweeted,

"Jacob Markstrom jokes that Alexander Holtz is so young that 'maybe he can babysit for us.'"

Markstrom said he hasn't spoken to either Jesper Bratt or Holtz. He humorously added that he expects "some home-cooked meals from them."

Reflecting on his past experiences, Markstrom mentioned his time playing with Quinn Hughes in Vancouver. He expressed excitement about joining the Hughes brothers in New Jersey.

"Now we got two pretty good brothers (in NJ), as well," he said.

Markstrom will remain in Sweden until early to mid-August and plans to be in New Jersey about a month before the Devils' training camp starts.

"I'm a New Jersey Devil and me and my family couldn't be happier," Markstrom said.

When asked about his reaction to the trade agreement, Markstrom said,

"When (Calgary) agreed on the deal with #NJDevils, I was super excited."

He also joked about potentially asking Nolan Foote for the No. 25 jersey number.

"Depends how expensive it is," Markstrom said.

Jacob Markstrom said he got a call late the previous night about the deal nearing completion, just before going to bed, making it "a little tough to sleep." He completed the necessary paperwork the next morning, waiving his no-movement clause (NMC) to finalize the trade.

Expressing his optimism about joining the Devils, Markstrom said,

"The team has something really good going on, the roster, the skillset (...) they really wanted me to come. It's always exciting to join a group, team, and organization like the NJ Devils. I know a bunch of players who played there and absolutely loved it."

New Jersey Devils acquired Jacob Markstrom from Calgary Flames in trade deal

The New Jersey Devils traded for goalie Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames. Calgary received defenseman Kevin Bahl and a top-10 protected first-round pick in the 2025 NHL draft. Calgary will keep 31.25% of Markstrom's salary. New Jersey's cap hit will be $4,125,000 for the next two years.

Markstrom played the last four seasons with Calgary. He had a .905 save percentage, a 2.78 goals-against average and two shutouts in 48 games last season. Over his career, he has a 2.72 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.

Internationally, Markstrom has represented Sweden. He won a silver medal at the 2009 World Junior Championship, a bronze at the 2010 WJC and World Championship and a gold at the 2013 World Championship. He was an NHL All-Star in 2020.