Friedman: New contract for Vancouver Canucks G Jacob Markstrom likely above $4.5-m AAV

@Mikko Koskinen was months away from his 31st birthday when he signed a three-year, $4.5-million AAV extension with Edmonton. That contract filtered into @Darcy Kuemper, who will be 30 when his two-year, $4.5-million AAV extension kicks in with Arizona. Markstrom just turned 30.

Chris Johnston reported on Headlines last week that the Canucks offered a two-year extension, and, based on those previous moves, it didn’t come as a surprise. That’s not going to do it for Markstrom, who has been phenomenal and is not afraid to bet on himself. But, like Nurse, it doesn’t mean the negotiation is over. Just means it is going to be challenging. It’s a tightrope, and you don’t want it to affect your room. GM Jim Benning isn’t saying much beyond the fact that they want to get it done, because, in such a rabid market, one wrong word throws gasoline on the fire.