The Devils Have Found Their Goalie; Was Markstrom the Right Move!? | EPISODE 42

In the 42nd episode of 'Shout At The Devils' hosts Daniel Amoia (devils.report) and Justin Brady (devilsfanatics) discuss the recent acquisition of Jacob Markstrom and what that means for the rest of the offseason.
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"Shout At The Devils" is the ultimate podcast for fans of the New Jersey Devils, hosted by two hockey influencers, Justin Brady (@devilsfanatics) and Daniel Amoia (@devils.report). With their extensive knowledge of the team and their passion for the sport, Justin and Daniel provide insightful analysis, in-depth commentary, and engaging discussions on all things related to the Devils. Every week, the hosts deliver an entertaining and informative show that covers the latest news, game recaps, and player updates, as well as some interviews with athletes, experts and insiders from the world of hockey. From discussing the team's performance on the ice to exploring the business side of the franchise, "Shout At The Devils" offers a comprehensive look at everything Devils fans need to know. So tune in, join the conversation, and shout at the Devils with Justin and Daniel every week!
Thumbnail Photo: Terence Leung

[@cbonez2909]

Good to see some young devil fans with their opinion. Let's go devils

[@shoutatthedevilspodcast]

Thank you for listening!!

[@Nicovertime]

Thanks, guys! Enjoyed your viewpoints and looking forward to more! LFGD 💥

[@shoutatthedevilspodcast]

Appreciate the support!!

[@Asshat237]

This draft is really deep. At #10 an elite talent will definitely still be available to us. Last year going to shit may end up being for the best long term because we will likely acquire another young star. Let's consider a hypothetical last season in which Vanacek was just good enough in the regular season to get us to a first round playoff exit in which he played extremely well in a 7 game series loss. The organization maintains belief in him and then he shits the bed in 2024-25 while the rest of the team is another year more experienced and probably better. I prefer what really happened in which the bad season happens in 23-24 while our many young guys are undoubtedly not ready for prime time. Plus, this is a very rare draft to have so much elite talent. 2025's 10th overall pick will almost definitely not be as good a prospect as whomever we pick Friday night. I'm so excited for the draft.

[@martynj3438]

Just found and sub to you channel guys. Happy about the deal, and looking forward to hearing your views.

[@shoutatthedevilspodcast]

Thank you!! Glad you enjoyed!!

[@Mooseman327]

The acquisition of Markstrom is similar in some ways to the NFL Patriots' acquisition of Jacoby Brissett. Both of these guys are short-term, veteran players who are much better than the awfulness that preceded them on their respective teams. Their teams will be better because of them. However, neither of them will lead their teams to championships. They are "bridges" to the actual championship-bringing player. In the case of the Pats, they're hoping that Drake Maye is that player. The Devils don't have a player currently under contract that Markstrom is the bridge to. That's still high on the "to-do" list of Fitzy, or should be. If Fitzy thinks that he's solved the goaltender problem for the Devs in anything but in a limited (make the playoffs, win a round or two), and short-term (two years) way, he's delusional. The danger here is that Fitzy is going to waste two more years in the Devs' talent window by fielding a team that clearly is not championship level because his goalie (a 35-36 year-old Markstrom) is not a championship-level goaltender. Plus, he's hurt the defense at the same time by dealing a late-blooming, young D-man with lots of promise. So, he's fixing one hole by making another. So, I'm not convinced that Fitzy's plan is any good. It'll depend on what he does from here. And where's that championship-level goalie? Ullmark might have been that guy, but he would have probably cost more than Bahl and a #1 pick. It'll be interesting to see what happens with Ullmark. I'm also glad Fitzy didn't go after Saros, who, this past season, has shown us what his limits are. He'd just be a slightly younger version of Markstrom.

[@bted]

I like the Markstrom deal. However, I feel like Bahl has more potential than most people seem to think. He's pretty young, and defensemen take more time to develop. Because of injuries and losing Graves and Severson, he had a lot more responsibility than he should have this year, just like Luke and Nemec. No he wasn't great, but played every game and still ended with +1 on a bad defensive team, where most everyone else was a minus.

[@zookdog68]

Bahl is very soft imo for his size. I highly doubt that will change at this point in his career.

[@Mooseman327]

@@zookdog68 He's never had a really good vet mentor. He's been surrounded by soft, mediocre vets so he's had no good example of how to really play the position. He needs 1-2 physical, mean vets playing solid defense to toughen him up. The Devils are one of the softest teams in the NHL and ridding themselves of one of their marginal soft players doesn't help that much while your core star players are fancy skaters and not hockey players. We'll see how things turn out.

[@bted]

@@zookdog68 First of all, random fans on the internet calling ANY player in the NHL "soft" always seems super ironic to me. Second, "soft" is a pretty simpleminded metric to use in general. It doesn't mean anything. And third, even if you do judge Bahl by that relatively meaningless standard AND by this year alone, he was 2nd in hits and 2nd in blocked shots, neither of which seem like something a "soft" player is going to do. Other than that, you made a great point.

[@bted]

@@Mooseman327 Another brainless comment. Bahl is soft because the whole team is soft? Ok. How come no one was calling him soft after the 22-23 season? Did he turn squishy and cowardly over the summer?

[@zookdog68]

LMAO - Ok I should have used not physical enough for his size.. Maybe I need to watch another 40 more years of hockey.