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The Calgary Flames have found a solution to their goaltending problem.
After years of rotating through a variety of stop-gap goaltenders, GM Brad Treliving has had enough.
Today he went all-in on what he is hoping will be a long-term solution between the pipes, signing Jacob Markstrom to a six-year contract worth $6 million per season.
Markstrom spent the last handful of years with the rival Vancouver Canucks, where he established himself as a quality starter.
He is coming off the best season of his career. Markstrom posted a .916 save percentage, well above league average of .905, despite playing behind a Canucks team that ranked *checks notes* dead last in scoring chances against per 60 minutes. It’s not as if life was easy; Markstrom was full value for those excellent numbers.
While I’m not sure I’d consider Markstrom an *elite* netminder, he is a very good one. Of the 50 most used goaltenders in the league over the last two seasons, Markstrom ranked 18th in save percentage (17th vs high-danger shots).
Darcy Kuemper, Carey Price, John Gibson and, funny enough, David Rittich are a few of the goaltenders with most comparable statistical profiles from 2018-20. Suffice to say, the Flames would be happy getting that kind of netminding.
With Markstrom carrying the load, and Rittich playing behind him, the Flames are a good bet to get top-10 goaltending next season. Goaltending isn’t an issue; at least it shouldn't be for a few years (it's fair to be concerned about the final couple years on Markstrom's deal)
Now it’s time to solidify the blueline and add more secondary scoring.
numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com
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