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Canucks: 3 reasons why they shouldn’t re-sign Jacob Markstrom

By Brayden Ursel

VANCOUVER, BC - DECEMBER 12: Jacob Markstrom #25 of the Vancouver Canucks holds up a puck while being named first star after their NHL game against the Carolina Hurricanes at Rogers Arena December 12, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vancouver won 1-0. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC - DECEMBER 12: Jacob Markstrom #25 of the Vancouver Canucks holds up a puck while being named first star after their NHL game against the Carolina Hurricanes at Rogers Arena December 12, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vancouver won 1-0. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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TORONTO, ON – FEBRUARY 29: Thatcher Demko #35 of the Vancouver Canucks warms up prior to action against the Toronto Maple Leafs in an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 29, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Canucks 4-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – FEBRUARY 29: Thatcher Demko #35 of the Vancouver Canucks warms up prior to action against the Toronto Maple Leafs in an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 29, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Canucks 4-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

Thatcher Demko is ready to be a starter

Benning has stated that Thatcher Demko is the Canucks goaltender of the future. And if we learned anything from that three-game performance in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, it’s that the future is now. Yes, it was only a three-game stretch, but it was three games of brilliant goaltending.

128 saves against 130 shots with a 0.985 save percentage. When was the last time an NHL goalie put up such incredible numbers? Pretty much never. J.S. Giguere of 2003 can’t even compete with such dominance. Demko was calm, cool and collected. Thrown into his first playoff experience at the NHL level, the 24-year-old rattled the confidence of the powerhouse Vegas Golden Knights to the point that they completely lost their edge.

Dumped by the Dallas Stars in just five games, head coach Peter DeBoer admitted, “There’s no doubt that the last couple games of the Vancouver series against Demko probably rattled our confidence a little bit in that (scoring) area as a group.”

It’s definitely possible that the Canucks could take a step back next year if they move ahead with Demko over Markstrom, but he is the better long-term option. Demko only costs a shade over $1 million dollars, he would expand the team’s Stanley Cup window by several years and he has the potential to have a better overall career when all is said and done.

Jacob Markstrom is almost 31 years of age

He’s been everything and more for the Canucks. The confidence that the team, coaching staff, management and fans have in their starting goaltender hasn’t been this high since the prime years of Roberto Luongo. No doubt, out of any player hitting free agency for the Canucks, Markstrom is the guy who deserves a new deal more than anyone.

But you have to look outside his statistics and give thought to his age. Markstrom is already 30-years-old. The NHL is getting younger by the day and as the overall numbers suggest, goalies over the hill don’t age like a fine wine. Luongo is one of very few goalies to maintain a high save percentage and low goals-against average into his mid-thirties, but he has the overall numbers to back that up. Solid from the start of his career to the moment he hung up the pads, Luongo was always great.

Unlike Luongo, Markstrom has two, maybe three great years of goaltending that are surrounded by below-average numbers. That to me suggests that Markstrom, at one point or another, will begin to falter. As he starts to age well into his thirties, how can you know how long his excellent play will last? It’s a gamble giving him the price and term he’s likely to demand, and the last thing Vancouver needs is another overpaid contract weighing down the team’s ability to sign the players they truly need.

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Don’t get me wrong. Markstrom is a great goaltender who deserves the world. He’ll get what he wants, it’s just better for the Canucks if that isn’t in Vancouver. Time will tell. Benning is keen on extending Markstrom, but he also said that he has every right to pursue the open market. Do the right thing, Jim.

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