Tom Fitzgerald recently discussed the importance of locking in goalie Jacob Markstrom to the New Jersey Devils‘ long-term plans.
Mission accomplished for the Devils general manager.
The Devils signed Markstrom to a two-year, $12 million contract extension Friday that will keep the 35-year-old in the Garden State through his 37th birthday.
Markstrom, who the Devils acquired from the Calgary Flames during the 2024 off-season, is 28-18-6 with a 2.67 goals-against average and .895 save percentage over his two seasons in New Jersey. But he backstopped New Jersey to the playoffs in his first season with the club, 2024-25.
Jacob Markstrom Is The Ideal Devils Goalie
Markstrom is off to a slow, injury-laden start to his 2025-26 season, since he missed two weeks and has just a 2-2 record with a 5.13 GAA and .830 save percentage.
Still, when Markstrom is on, he is one of the best goalies in the game. He was the runner-up for the Vezina Trophy in 2022 when he had an NHL-best nine shutouts and has finished in the top-4 in Vezina Trophy voting twice in his career.
Markstrom shored up New Jersey’s goaltending after it finished with an .896 team save percentage and missed the playoffs in 2023-24 — and was bounced from the playoffs in 2022-23 due to shoddy goalie play from Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid in the second round against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Markstrom had 29 quality starts in 49 games and had four shutouts with a 2.50 goals-against average.
“We love Jacob Markstrom,” Fitzgerald told The Athletic last week. “We love his family. We want to continue this relationship moving forward.â
So even though Markstrom has struggled at times in New Jersey, even this year, the Devils can be confident in him to make a save — which wasn’t the case for Vanecek, Schmid or Nico Daws.
The Devils have one of the NHL’s best offenses. Led by Jack Hughes’ NHL-leading nine goals, they are fourth in the NHL in goals (41) and second in goals per game (3.73), trailing only Carolina.
So they don’t need much back there to win games 4-3 or 5-4. Markstrom has proven that.
Locking In Jacob Markstrom Extends The Devils’ Window To Win
The Devils have not been able to get past the Hurricanes in their two postseason berths, falling in five games in each of those series.
But with New Jersey on the cusp of jumping into the ranks of upper-echelon teams, having a top-flight goalie like Markstrom is integral. The Devils have seen what shoddy can do against the Hurricanes, and with Hughes missing the whole series against the Canes they have also seen what it’s like to play them without their most potent offense.
If the Devils let Markstrom walk in free agency, and instead turned the goaltending reins to Daws or backup Jake Allen — or tried to sign a goalie in free agency — they would end up back at Square 1 where they were when they allowed 24 goals in five games to Carolina.
So with Markstrom locked in for two more years, the entire core is in tact. Now all the Devils have to do is stay healthy and live up to their lofty expectations.
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