NHL free agency: Calgary Flames to sign Jacob Markstrom
The Calgary Flames are reportedly close to agreeing to a deal with goaltender Jacob Markstrom in NHL free agency.
NHL free agency is moving along quickly. The Calgary Flames are looking for a goalie and they have reportedly signed one in Jacob Markstrom. Yes, the former Vancouver Canucks goaltender. It sounds like it will be a long-term deal.
Goaltending has been a need for the Flames and Markstrom should help solve it long-term. They also have David Rittich, who will likely be demoted down to a backup role. Expect Markstrom to be the number one goaltender in Calgary. That should make the Flames versus Canucks rivalry a bit more heated.
Markstrom is 30 years old, but is coming off a terrific campaign. Many believe he should have been a Vezina Trophy finalist. Markstrom posted a career-best .918% save percentage, which ranked 11th in the NHL. According to Evolving Hockey, his 3.77 GSAx ranked 12th in the league among goalies with 1,000 minutes played.
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The Flames are likely going to be left with not too much cap space. This could lead to Calgary having to move out a contract or two if they want to make more moves. It also means they’re likely out of the running for Taylor Hall, who they were hoping to sign. Which means they likely won’t trade Johnny Gaudreau or another high-priced forward.
As for the Canucks, they’ve already signed Braden Holtby to a two-year deal worth $4.3 million annually. So both sides will have a new goaltender.
In 272 career games in the regular season, Markstrom has a 110-118-32 record with a .911% save percentage and a 2.80 GAA. He’s been much better as of late, posting a save percentage of .912% in both 2017-18 and 2018-19. In 2019-20, he posted a .918% save percentage.
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Big changes are coming in Calgary and this is just one of them. It’ll be interesting to see what the Flames do next this offseason. They’ve still got some holes to fill and likely won’t have too much cap space to do it.