The Devils have their goaltending solidified with Markstrom extension

Things in the Garden State seem to be looking good for the future, in terms of the masked men.

Last week, the New Jersey Devils locked up goaltender Jacob Markstrom with a two-year contract extension. The deal carries an AAV of $6 million through the 2027-28 campaign, giving the Devils a No. 1 goaltender for a long time.

That gives the team assurance between the pipes for the next several years. Fellow veteran Jake Allen is in his first season of his five-year contract that he signed in July. That means the Devils have two capable and quality goaltenders signed for the next two years.

On Monday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton discussed Markstrom’s new deal, and what it means for the team going forward.

Tyler Yaremchuk: It’s a 35-year-old goalie here who’s signing an extension. So you’re getting Markstrom through age 37 on this deal. I don’t have a big problem with the price tag, but what did you make of this contract? 

Carter Hutton: I like it. I think it’s the fact that they have Jake Allen as well. Now, between the two of them, Markstrom has got 539 games played. Jake has 438. Both .908 save percentage over a long stretch of games, which is impressive. The veteran leadership that these two bring is important. For me, I guess it’s risk-reward, right? So, if you don’t give him the contract…where are you going to go search out and find a guy to be that number one? There’s no one really in the pipe that’s coming up to take that job. So, in two years, what’s $6 million if it doesn’t work out? You still have Jake Allen at a really good, reasonable number. He signed a five-year deal. He’s going to be well into his 40s by the time he’s finishing out that contract at $1.8 million.

So, I just think risk-reward here, this contract, is a good bet by [the Devils]. Markstrom doesn’t have to worry about free agency. He stays stable. He gets two more years at a really healthy number. This is a good duo. With Markstrom being out early in the year, how good Jake Allen was stabilizing the crease, I think the doubles look good here for the future.

You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…