Markstrom: 'I don't know' where I'll play next season
After hearing his name in several trade rumors this season, Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom said he isn't sure what his future holds.
"I don't know," he told reporters Friday. "What I do know, and what I tell you guys every day, is I love winning hockey games. ... And I know everyone in that locker room wants to win hockey games, too. That's pretty much where my head is at right now."
The Flames had a fire sale this campaign, parting ways with pending free agents Nikita Zadorov, Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev, and Noah Hanifin.
Though Markstrom has two seasons left on his deal with a cap hit of $6 million and a no-move clause, the New Jersey Devils reportedly wanted to acquire the veteran ahead of the deadline and appear interested in taking another run at him in the offseason.
Flames general manager Craig Conroy was noncommittal when asked if he envisions Markstrom being on the team in 2024-25, saying "time will tell with everything we're doing."
Calgary is currently carrying three goalies - Markstrom, the injured Dan Vladar, and youngster Dustin Wolf - but Conroy said it's "tough to say" if that will still be the case come September.
In early March, Markstrom said his situation "could've been handled a lot different from up top." The Swede revealed Friday that he addressed his team the morning after making those comments.
"I wanted them to know everything that's going on and how I feel and what I was pointing at," he explained. "I love every single player on the team and I love the coaching staff. ... This is my home and has been for four years. I've got great relationships, and I take pride in who I am as a person."
Markstrom added that he thinks there's no tension between him and management, while Conroy said they had a "cordial" chat.
The Flames missed the playoffs for the second straight season, but Markstrom had a strong campaign. He ranked third among all netminders in goals saved above expected at all strengths (28.93), per Evolving-Hockey, and ranked among the best in high-danger save percentage (.868) at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.
However, all the 34-year-old cared about was his 23-23-2 record.
"Obviously, (I was a) .500 goalie. ... It's not where I want to be, I want to be still playing and win a lot more games than half of the ones I've played," he said.
Markstrom owns a career .907 save percentage and 105 wins in 213 appearances as a Flame.
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