Jacob Markstrom criticized the Calgary Flames' leaders on Friday.
The Swedish goaltender did not hesitate to make it clear that he would have liked to have been treated better by the organization and ultimately decided not to trade him until the trade deadline set for next Friday.
When asked if he had come to terms with the idea of staying with the Alberta team, Markstrom answered candidly: “I respect the way everyone in the locker room handled the situation.” I think it really was good. Am I happy to be in this situation? NO. I think management could have handled it very differently.” These comments were reported by Sportsnet journalist Eric Francis.
“The New Jersey Devils have attempted to recuse themselves on the matter, but the Flames have stated that they now plan to retain Markstrom for the remainder of the season,” NHL Network's David Pagnotta wrote on the X Platform on Thursday.
Since the start of the season, the 34-year-old veteran has a 20-15-2 record, a 2.56 goals-against average and a .914 efficiency percentage. Markstrom, who earns an annual salary of $6 million, will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2025-2026 season.
The Flames are still in the playoff race. Jonathan Huberdeau's teammates are seven points behind the Nashville Predators, holders of the final spot that grants entry to the Western Association playoffs. However, they played two fewer games.
Wednesday evening, The Flames traded Tanev to the Dallas Stars in a three-club trade with the Devils. A month earlier, on January 31, Elias Lindholm was traded to the Vancouver Canucks for a first-round pick, a conditional fourth-round pick, forward Andrei Kuzmenko and young talents Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo.