Canucks: 3 takeaways from Jacob Markstrom’s season
Goaltender Jacob Markstrom enjoyed another great year in net for the Vancouver Canucks. Here are three big takeaways from his remarkable 2019-20 season.
Considering the roller-coaster of a ride Jacob Markstrom must have endured off the ice this season emotionally, the Vancouver Canucks‘ All-Star goaltender was off the charts impressive.
Another season under goaltending coach Ian Clark did tremendous things for the Swede that pushed his NHL numbers beyond anything he’s ever accomplished before. He grew mentally strong this year and became one of the more consistent starting netminders in the NHL.
Some people believe Markstrom to be the best player on the Canucks this year, and that’s not wrong. Taking it a little further, without Markstrom being an absolute gamechanger in net, the Canucks very well could be one of the seven NHL teams not participating in the remainder of the 2019-20 season.
He was peppered with over 35 shots in at least 40% of his starts yet Markstrom held a respectable winning record of 23-16-4. He’s 6’6 and his 206-pound frame stood tall when under pressure. His two shutouts this season were both in high shooting games where he turned down 41 shots and 49 shots respectively.
Management best do whatever it takes to lock up the soon to be very wanted UFA. He doesn’t let in a bad goal and he’s entering the prime years of his career. Let’s dive into my three biggest takes on Markstrom’s 2019-20 season.
Markstrom deserves more league-wide credit
Anybody who watched a handful of Canucks games over the course of this year has to know just how good Markstrom really was. For everybody else, it seems like nobody has a clue about who he is. Canucks fans are used to that, though. The east coast is the center of the NHL world and unfortunately, the majority of North America runs on eastern time.
Pay closer attention and you’d know that Markstrom’s season performance was spectacular and easily worthy of some Vezina Trophy conversation. 23 wins don’t exactly pass for award-winning numbers, but the underlying numbers in advanced stats show that he was simply remarkable.
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By the COVID shutdown, he ranked first place amongst starting goalies in shots against per 60 minutes and held an outer-worldly 13-4 record when facing 35+ shots. He’s the kind of goalie who’s a brick wall when he’s busy and he’s doing things for the Canucks that haven’t been done in quite some time.
According to an article run by Canucks Army, Markstrom was the only goaltender in the entire NHL who didn’t give up a clear sight goal all year. That’s any shot that Markstrom has a clear vision of for a half-second or longer. Every single one of those shots he faced he turned down. In other terms, he never blinked. Not once all season.
Markstrom’s presence in goal is starting to feel like it did when Roberto Luongo was No. 1 for the Canucks. He brings a certain swagger and confidence that can’t be matched and his cat-like reflexes under Clark have him creeping up on the NHL’s top-five goaltenders in my books.
Markstrom adds All-Star to resume
Even though he was a backdoor selection for the All-Star Weekend, Markstrom was beyond the most deserving Vancouver Canuck invited. Actually, it was completely mind-blowing that it happened to begin with, and it further goes to support the fact that the west coast often gets a spotlight snubbing.
It wouldn’t be much of a reach to say that he deserved the spot originally, but Marc-Andre Fleury is a tough goalie to knock off the mountain. He’s both a goaltender with a well-stocked cupboard of awards and he’s extremely likable in the media. But sometimes the universe has a way of working out (usually never for the Canucks) and in the end, the right guy was chosen.
Markstrom’s path led to his nod of acknowledgment by the league’s best players, but it happened in the completely wrong way. I know the All-Star game is taken lightly by the players, but Marky was not only an All-Star, he was also one of the best players representing the Pacific.
At the end of it all, he got his day in the sun and he can now consider himself a full-fledged NHL All-Star. He was one of the better goalies on All-Star competition night, and he stood his ground in the All-Star Game. Canucks fans know he has what it takes to stop the best of the best.
Markstrom deserves extension with Canucks
It’s no secret that Markstrom believes in the Canucks and wants nothing more than to finish his career playing in Vancouver. I mean, why wouldn’t he? He’s playing at the peak of his career under a tremendous goalie coach and some of the NHL’s best young and exciting franchise players. It’s clear that the 30-year-old Swede wants to re-up, but if he gets offered the dollar figure required to reach an agreement remains unanswered for the time being.
But when the time does come, Benning better open the checkbook and pray Markstrom doesn’t take him for a walk. The Canucks are in a dark and gloomy cap crunch situation and can’t afford to mishandle it. Benning will have to get creative because Marky’s numbers are proof he’s a top-dollar goaltender, and it’s unlikely his agent picks up the phone for anything less than $6 million.
Rightfully so, though. Markstrom ran with the big dogs all season long and turned down anybody who fired a puck in his direction. He deserves the right to determine a suitable figure to present to the Canucks. If it’ll work like that I doubt it, but two seasons of standing on his head have shown the fans enough to be considered a must re-sign.
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If a number gets agreed upon remains to be seen, but the confidence in both parties remains high. Benning has made signing Markstrom his top priority and it’s safe to say that the GM’s job could ride on this very decision. If he gets it right the Canucks will be sitting pretty for the considerable future.