Devils’ Jacob Markstrom to miss rest of 2025-26
The New Jersey Devils have announced that goaltender Jacob Markström will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 NHL season.
#NEWS: Head coach Sheldon Keefe announced Jacob Markstrom will miss the remainder of the regular season to rest and rehab nagging injuries.
The team listed nagging injuries as a reason for shutting him down early. The news comes a day after the Devils announced that they were shutting down Luke Hughes due to injury as well.
The Devils were officially eliminated from 2026 Stanley Cup playoff contention on April 7. They currently sit 13th among 16 teams in the Eastern Conference.
It was a trying season for Markström, who posted a 23-19-1 record with a .883 save percentage in 44 games. The 36-year-old has seen his game trail off quite heavily the past few years after registering a career-best 37 wins and a .922 save percentage in 2021-22. He hasn’t had a save percentage better than .905 in the time since.
On the advanced numbers front, Markström’s 5-on-5 goals saved above expected of -4.06 is 77th among 87 goalies this year. In contrast, Jake Allen, New Jersey’s backup, has a GSAx of 10.72 in 2025-26. Markström had a decent showing at the 2026 Winter Olympics with Sweden, but ultimately didn’t make it out of the quarterfinal.
Markström is in the final year of a contract worth $6 million per season. He has already inked a two-year extension with the same cap hit, which, given his play this season, could prove costly for the Devils.
The Devils will likely lean on Allen for the remainder of the season, with the 35-year-old boasting a 16-17-2 record. Nico Daws has served as New Jersey’s third goalie this season, with the 25-year-old winning his lone start of the season back in October. Daws has an all-time record of 23-23-1 in 53 games over five seasons with New Jersey.