Calgary Flames place surprising player on trade block

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Cooper Godin
January 11, 2024 (1:41 PM)

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The Calgary Flames have reportedly places Jacob Markstrom on the block ahead of trade deadline in early March.

The Calgary Flames currently sit two points back of the Edmonton Oilers for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference and while their post-season hopes are up in air, they could be a team looking to sell ahead of the trade deadline in March.

In recent weeks, Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin, both of whom are pending unrestricted free agents, have been named as players who could find themselves on their way out of Calgary ahead of March 8th. But now, a new name has emerged as a trade target for other teams - Jacob Markstrom.

According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, Markstrom could be in play as we head into the eight weeks leading up to the trade deadline, however, General Manager Craig Conroy has not approached his goaltender or his agent about waiving his no-movement clause as of yet.

"But teams aren't calling Calgary only to inquire about his pending UFAs. Conroy has also generated interest in some of his players with term remaining on their contracts, including goaltender Jacob Markstrom." Pagnotta said.

He added, "To date, Conroy has not approached Markstrom or his agent Pat Morris about the possibility of waiving his NMC. I'm told that will only happen if the Flames receive an offer they deem acceptable. There is belief out there that Markstrom would consider a trade to a contender, but that has not been confirmed on my end."

Markstrom, 33, has two years remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $6 million per season, which could make it tough for some teams to bring in the veteran netminder unless the Flames are willing to retain a portion of his salary.

In 24 games this season, the Gavle, Sweden native has a record of 11-11-2 with a 2.68 goals against average, a .908 save percentage and one shutout.

The Calgary Flames are certainly going to be a team to keep an eye on ahead of the deadline. Do you think they'll trade Jacob Markstrom before March 8th? Let us know what you think in the poll below!