The most obvious is Jacob Markstrom starting in the net in his return to Calgary. The veteran goaltender spent four seasons with the Flames before being acquired by the Devils on June 19, 2024, for Kevin Bahl and a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

The Devils traded a 2025. first round pick and defenseman Kevin Bahl (who had two points on Friday in his first game facing the Devils) for the 34-year-old Markstrom this offseason to hopefully break their goalie curse coming off a few OK seasons in Calgary as the team began to rebuild.

The Calgary Flames bid goodbye over the summer to another member of their most recent playoff squad, trading goaltender Jacob Markstrom to the New Jersey Devils and receiving a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and defenseman Kevin Bahl in return.

Nico Hischier scored his league-leading 10th goal and had two assists, and Jacob Markstrom posted his 21st career shutout as the visiting New Jersey Devils cruised to a 6-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night.

The goalie the Devils hoped would bring stability has been inconsistent. In New Jersey’s 5-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, he faced 20 shots and allowed four goals. In seven starts this season he has a 3.15 GAA and .891 save percentage, with 3.78 goals saved below expected, according to MoneyPuck — some of his worst in a decade.