Canucks Army Year in Review: Jacob Markstrom

Perhaps it was because of his pedigree as one of the best goaltending prospects in the world at one point, or the fact that he was traded for Roberto Luongo, but many fans were still holding out hope that Jacob Markstrom could flourish as the Canucks’ number one goalie.

The development of top prospect Thatcher Demko alleviated much of that pressure as the season wore on, which is fortunate considering the mediocre results Markstrom delivered.

The reality is that very few backup goalies can successfully make the transition to a bonafide starter’s role in their late 20s. Canucks head coach Travis Green didn’t make that jump any easier on Markstrom either, leaning on him for 57 starts compared to just the 23 he had in the season prior under Willie Desjardins.

Inconsistency has plagued Markstrom for the majority of his career and this season was no different. The 28-year-old had a difficult time adjusting to the increased workload out of the gate — struggling mightily to hit his stride for the first two and a half months of the campaign. Split Markstrom’s results from that point on, and the numbers appear as stark as night and day.

Markstrom’s .917 save percentage since December 23rd ranked him 17th among NHL goalies (minimum 20 starts).

Markstrom’s stretch to close out the season was enough to elevate his save percentage to the league average among all goalies. You’d hope for a bonafide starter to deliver an above average save percentage, although traditional goalie stats have to be taken with a grain of salt given that they don’t account for contextual factors. It’s especially important for Markstrom, who had to play behind an atrocious Canucks’ blueline.

One way to even the playing field is by looking at Corsica’s goals saved above average metric. GSAA calculates a cumulative number of expected goals against based on numerous factors that take into account shot quality and quantity. The goaltender’s actual number of goals against for the season is then compared to the calculated mark that a league average goalie would be able to stop. A positive number means that the goalie in question saved more goals relative to the average NHL netminder, while a negative mark means that he lagged behind.

Markstrom’s aggregate GSAA and expected save percentage data reaffirm his middling boxcar stats.

The shorthanded play ended up being Markstrom’s Achilles heel this season — skewing otherwise respectable results. His net total of four additional goals allowed is nothing to write home about, but reasonable considering his increased workload.

The key for Markstrom moving forward will be settling into games early. This season, he allowed a goal within the first five minutes for every third start he made. It’s tough as it is for the team to win games, but when you’re playing from behind with as little offence as Vancouver has, it becomes all the more difficult.

What you see is what you’ll get with Jacob Markstrom at this stage in his career. The former 2nd round pick’s middling performance in his first season as the defacto starter indicates that he’s a fringe number one goalie– unlikely to be good enough for a contending team, but an adequate number one option if necessary.

Given where the Canucks are at in their rebuild process, Markstrom is a suitable stop-gap solution until Thatcher Demko makes his mark at the NHL level.