Vancouver Canucks: A look at the goaltending depth chart

The Vancouver Canucks found themselves in a bind this year when it came to goaltending, here’s how their goaltending depth looked this year, and how it will look heading into next year.

We all know what happened with Michael DiPietro being forced to make his debut at 19 years old, I talked about it in yesterday’s article, and have seen it continue to pop up. The Vancouver Canucks surely want to avoid a similar situation in the future, so I thought it be fitting to take a look at how the Canucks’ goaltending depth is looking heading into next season.

Jacob Markstrom

What can you say about Jacob Markstrom? After being acquired in exchange for Roberto Luongo back in 2014, Markstrom’s career with the Canucks has been up and down — that was, until this year, where Markstrom proved that he is ready to be a starter in the NHL.

Markstrom was forced to backup Ryan Miller, but last year, got his chance to be the team’s go-to goaltender. He had some healthy competition in the form of Anders Nilsson, but ultimately, was more trusted by head coach Travis Green, who coached Markstrom for a season when the two were members of the Utica Comets.

A reunion with former goalie coach Ian Clark can be attributed to Markstrom’s resurgence. Clark was with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and worked closely with Sergei Bobrovsky, before returning to the Canucks this season. Markstrom showed that he is ready to be the goalie for the Canucks when they turn the corner and become contenders. He is likely in line to receive an extension very soon with just one year remaining on his contract.