Markstrom’s Perseverance Makes Him a Prime Candidate for the Masterton Trophy

Jacob Markstrom has been one of the great comeback stories in NHL history.

Despite losing his father to cancer this November, Markstrom is putting up the best and most consistent performance of his career, sitting seventh overall in wins and 14th overall in save percentage among goaltenders with at least 20 starts this season. What makes it all the more impressive is how far he’s come over the course of a career that looked like it would be over before it began just a few years ago.

It’s easy to forget now, but Markstrom was considered damaged goods when he arrived in Vancouver. Once considered the best goaltending prospect in hockey, Markstrom struggled to find his footing over parts of four seasons with the Florida Panthers. By the time he was traded to the Canucks along with Shawn Matthias for Roberto Luongo, his reputation had completely eroded to the point where many observers openly questioned whether or not he had an NHL future.

As harsh as that may sound in hindsight, those concerns were completely justified at the time. To put it simply, Markstrom had not performed like an NHL-calibre goaltender up until the Canucks traded for him in 2013-14. In fact, that season would go down as one of the worst performances by a backup goaltender in recent memory. Since 2005-06, 979 goalies have laced up for at least 10 games in a season. Among those goalies, Markstrom’s performance in 2013-14 ranks 969th. One needs only to look at the players in his cohort to get a sense of how unprecedented Markstrom’s comeback has been.

Things did not improve quickly after the change of scenery. Markstrom appeared in 4 games for the Canucks in 2014, posting an abysmal .869 save percentage, and barely improved on it the next season, posting a .879 save percentage over three appearances. Markstrom was even placed on waivers to begin the 2014-15 season after failing to earn a spot over then-backup Eddie Lack.

Since securing the backup position behind Ryan Miller for the 2015-16 season, however, Markstrom’s play has steadily improved. He was named team MVP at the end of last season, an honour which he’s likely to earn again this year barring a dramatic turn of events.

According to stats tracked by Evolving-Hockey.com, Markstrom has been significantly above average for the past two seasons. Goals Saved Above Average (GSAA) is a stat that measures how many goals a goaltender has stopped in comparison to how a league-average goalie would perform under the same circumstances. In 2018-19, Markstrom ranked 22nd among all goalies with a GSAA of 5.16, and this season, he ranks 9th overall with a GSAA of 10.03. Markstrom’s play has been especially impressive on the PK, where he also ranks 9th among all goalies with a GSAA of 2.5. He’s also fared well in terms of goals saved above expectation, which accounts for how many more goals a goalie has stopped than his team would be expected to give up based on the quality and quantity of the shots they are conceding.

In other words, Markstrom’s performance hasn’t simply been boosted by the roster improvements that were made this off-season. He’s earned every bit of the praise he’s garnered recently, and has likely stolen more than a few games for the upstart Canucks this season.

It’s been a long road with a lot of ups and downs, but Markstrom effectively saved his NHL career thanks to hard work, perseverance, and the efforts of goalie coaches Rollie Melanson and Ian Clark, and he’s earned himself a big raise on July 1 because of it. Unfortunately, because Markstrom is always keenly focused on the task at hand and reluctant to talk about himself at the best of times, the story has mostly flown under the radar.

Putting up the best performance of his career after losing his father to cancer should be enough to put him in the running for the Masterton, but the additional context of how far he had to come just to secure the starting position in Vancouver makes it all the more impressive. Markstrom has surmounted every obstacle in his path since joining the Canucks in 2013-14, and it’s hard to think of a player that has better exemplified the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the game than Markstrom has this season.