Markstrom traded to Devils from the Flames
Jacob Markstrom’s time in Calgary is over.
After months of speculation, the Flames finalized a trade with the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday to ship their star goaltender out for defenceman Kevin Bahl and a lottery-protected first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
The Flames will retain 31¼ per cent of Markstrom’s contract, which will pay him US$6 million for the next two years.
In Bahl, the Flames get a 23-year-old defenceman who was taken 25th overall in the 2018 NHL Draft by Arizona.
He has played in 148 games, registering four goals and 21 assists. Last season, he played in all 82 games for the Devils, scoring one goal and 10 assists.
“For quite some time, we had identified Kevin Bahl as a priority player,” said Flames GM Craig Conroy in a news release.
“He is a strong defender with size who plays an assertive game with tremendous presence. While his 6-foot-6, 230-pound frame is an imposing asset, he uses his body intelligently, has good mobility and makes smart puck decisions. Kevin fits our identity, and we are excited to acquire him now as he can continue to grow with our group.”
Flames goalie-of-the-future Dustin Wolf will likely replace the 34-year-old Markstrom, who posted a 23-23-2 record with a .905 save percentage and a 2.78 goals-against average last season.
After just missing out on a medal at the Tokyo Games, Caeli McKay will look to stand on the Olympic podium when she leads a young Canadian diving team this summer in Paris.
The 24-year-old from Calgary was among five athletes named to the team Wednesday by Diving Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee.
McKay and partner Meaghan Benfeito finished fourth in the 10-metre synchro event in Tokyo.
It was a comeback performance from McKay, who sustained a serious ankle injury at the Canadian Olympic trials shortly before the games.
Margo Erlam, Kate Miller, Rylan Wiens and Nathan Zsombor-Murray join McKay on the squad.
The Canadian team is in a transition phase, with Benfeito and Jennifer Abel retiring after the Tokyo Games.
Leylah Fernandez moved on to the quarterfinals of the Rothesay Classic grasscourt tennis tournament with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 win over Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic on Wednesday in Birmingham. Fernandez, from Laval, Que., claimed the only break point in the third set to win the match in two hours 21 minutes.
Fernandez, the sixth seed, will next face Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic.
In women’s doubles action, Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand lost 6-3, 6-2 in their first-round match against Greet Minnen and Heather Watson.