The Devils Must Address Goaltending And Jacob Markstrom is a Perfect Fit
TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button was on TSN SportsCenter with Jay Onrait and was asked if Jacob Markstrom to the New Jersey Devils was a good fit.
** NHLRumors.com Transcription
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Jay Onrait: “If Conroy does decide to trade anyone, he’s shown he’s got some trade partners that he has become comfortable with. He’s made two deals with the Canucks already. Significant ones, and then he made a real big trade with the Devils at the beginning of the season with Tyler Toffoli for Yegor Sharangovich.
There are now reports out there, Craig, that the Devils have an interest in Markstrom. But those two teams, the Flames and the Devils, are both kind of on the outside looking in. Is this a fit, do you think? Markstrom to the Devils?”
Craig Button: “So let me put on my hat in New Jersey. The New Jersey Devils won a playoff round last year. They had a real significant push in terms of progress with their young players and their team. Well, they have fallen back somewhat this year. A big part of that fallback is because the goaltending has been subpar.
So now I’m Tom Fitzgerald, and I’m looking. Yeah, Jacob Markstrom would be a great fit for his team, and it wouldn’t be a great fit not only for this year, but you know what? You have them for two more years at $6 million. The New Jersey Devils need to address their goaltending situation.
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You can’t continue to talk about your young group of defensemen, your young group of forwards, how you’ve been rebuilding, have the success you had last year, and then stumble and fall this year. There’s no guarantee that the New Jersey Devils acquiring Markstrom would make the playoffs.
But now you’re playing games that are really significant. You’re allowing your team to move forward this year and into the next few years. And I think it’s something that Tom Fitzgerald has to be able to look at seriously, and I would be 100% on board phoning Craig Conroy on a continuous basis to find out about the availability of Jacob Markstrom peaking with all the good young players on the planet.
You have all the progress you’ve had. If you don’t got goaltending, you’re going nowhere, and they need goaltending in New Jersey.”