The Detroit Red Wings look to be heading for a new era of hockey. Their captain, Dylan Larkin, has requested out of Hockeytown, and that leaves Steve Yzerman trying to figure out what comes next.
Well, as he navigates the Larkin trade talks, he should keep a close eye on what is happening with the New Jersey Devils' goalie situation. There have been reports suggesting that Jacob Markstrom is available on the trade market. Yzerman should be a part of those trade talks. Since his time began as general manager of the Red Wings, they have lacked one major thing: consistent goaltending. Acquiring Markstrom and giving him a change of scenery could very well help with that.
Markstrom could be the answer between the pipes for the Red Wings
Although Markstrom struggled for the Devils last season, he did show flashes of his old self. If Yzerman can get him out of New Jersey and into a new organization, there could be a world where he sees him back to his old self. When he is on his game, it feels like the puck may never get by him. However, when he struggles, it feels like every shot has a chance. When he first arrived in New Jersey, there were a lot of fans looking forward to what he could bring.
In the early stages of his time there, he played well. They made the playoffs, and although they didn't have a ton of success, things were better. Now, after a few failed attempts and questions being raised about their legitimacy as a playoff contender, the Devils are looking to move on.
Yzerman has tried the route of getting a struggling goalie out of his current organization in hopes that something changes. That is what happened with John Gibson, although it looked good for the first bit of the season. When the pressure was on, he and the Red Wings crumpled. The hope would be that if he pursued a trade for Markstrom, he would be able to lock it down when the pressure heightens and help get them back into the playoffs.
Realistically, many Red Wings may view a trade for Markstrom as Yzerman trying to save his job. And they may be right. However, if the trade packing going back to New Jersey isn't an overly big amount, it could make sense to try, especially considering Markstrom only has one year left on his current deal. Plus, the goalie free agent market isn't very good.
Ideally, Yzerman and the Red Wings should find a way to have Markstrom and Gibson as a tandem and see if the internal competition to be the starter helps them play better and therefore helps them get back into the playoffs.
Add us as a preferred source on Google