NHL Writer Floats 4 Goalies Devils Could ‘Probably’ Acquire for No. 10 Pick

Getty Juuse Saros

The New Jersey Devils are ramping up activity on the trade front less than three weeks before the NHL draft, scheduled for June 28-29, by making their No. 10 pick available.

Eric Duhatschek of The Athletic published a comprehensive “offseason NHL goalie trade carousel” notebook on June 7 highlighting four teams that could trade for the Devils’ No. 10 pick.

Of course, all those potential suitors have a “premium goaltender” to send to New Jersey in exchange for their lottery pick in the 2024 draft.

“There are four premium goaltenders to target in the offseason, and you could probably get any of the four for that No. 10 pick,” Duhatschek wrote. “Realistically, with a few restrictions and quibbles, their targets should be, in order: Jacob Markstrom of the Calgary Flames, Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins, John Gibson of the Anaheim Ducks, and Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators.”

Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald confirmed that New Jersey will trade the No. 10 pick if the return yields a valuable asset.

Jacob Markstrom Tops Devils’ Target List

The most straightforward option for the Devils is completing a trade for Markstrom.

Duhatschek reported that Markstrom “waived his no-trade to go to New Jersey back then (before the March 8 trade deadline), so presumably he’d do so again.”

Markstrom, 34, has two years remaining on his contract at $6.2 million per year, and he would instantly become the Devils’ new No. 1 goaltender for the 2024-25 season.

“If the Devils’ goal is to not only make the playoffs but then do some damage when they get there, then Markstrom, a reliable workhorse, seems like the best option,” Duhatschek wrote. “Calgary can probably live with trading him, and maybe even taking a small percentage of the contract back to land that draft pick.”

Before the trade deadline, the Devils tried to trade for Markstrom, but the Flames didn’t accept to retain any salary. A second offer (without the salary-retention requirement) was rejected again, as The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported on March 1.

Markstrom has started 425 of 435 games since becoming a true No. 1 in the 2015-16 season. Markstrom started 48 regular-season games in 2024 stopping 90.5 percent of the shots he saw and allowing 2.78 goals against on average.

Bruins’ Linus Ullmark, No. 2 Candidate

Ullmark is another available candidate, per Bruins GM Don Sweeney. Ullmark, however, would need to waive his no-trade clause to join the Devils via trade.

Ullmark won the Vezina Trophy award in 2023, posting a .924 save percentage as the best NHL netminder. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported on June 5 that the Devils have Ullmark as their second option on the target list.

“While (Devils GM) Fitzgerald wouldn’t get into names, other league sources said he continues to show interest in Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames, whom he tried hard to acquire before the March 8 trade deadline, as well as Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins,” LeBrun wrote. “There are other possibilities, too, but those two names would top New Jersey’s list.”

Gibson & Saros Considered Long Shots for Devils

Duhatschek thinks Gibson presents the most complex option “because he makes the most money ($6.4 million for three more years) and hasn’t played at a consistently high level for a while.”

Finally, Saros is the most challenging goaltender to obtain mostly because of Nashville’s interest in agreeing to a contract extension, according to GM Barry Trotz via Pierre Lebrun.

“Yeah, we’re talking to [Saros] and talking to his representative,” Trotz told LeBrun on 3. “I think they want to get something done. I would like to get something done. So we’re going to work toward that. I haven’t been in any hurry because I don’t think there’s any reason why I won’t get it done.”

According to Duhatschek, Nashville’s future goaltender Yaroslav Askarov “isn’t ready to be an everyday starter in the NHL,” which might add another potential hurdle in a trade with New Jersey.

Duhatschek noted “Saros is at the bottom of the list, not because of ability but because he will be the most challenging to pry loose. There appears to be a desire on both sides to get an extension done, and usually that means it’s going to happen.”