Swedish netminder Jacob Markstrom has had a fantastic season for the Vancouver Canucks. The 29-year-old has a 2.71 goals against average, a .916 save percentage along with a 18-13-3 record. Because of his strong play, Markstrom has earned himself a trip to St. Louis to play in his first NHL All-Star Game. Markstrom's current contract is up at the end of this season, and it is safe to say he will earn a raise on his current $3.6 million deal. However, according to TSN Insider Pierre LeBrun, Markstrom and the Canucks do not appear to be very close in terms of a new deal.
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This certainly isn't news that Canucks fans want to hear. After a few up and down seasons in Vancouver, Markstrom has really begun to establish himself as a solid NHL starting goaltender. It would make sense for the Canucks to re-sign him, and they no doubt would like to. However, they have to be careful on how much money they commit to him as they have young players such as Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson who are likely to sign massive deals in the upcoming years.
The good news for the Canucks is that Markstrom sounds like he truly enjoys Vancouver and wants to get a new deal done. As he mentions though, that is for his agent to deal with, he just wants to keep his focus on this season.
“I've been in Vancouver a long time. I love everything about it. I want to be in Vancouver a long time. I'm sure front office, my agent will figure it out. I'm staying out of it. There's a huge game on Monday vs St. Louis. That's my future right now.”
There are two positives right now for the team and its fans. The first is that free agency doesn't begin until July 1st, so there is still plenty of time left to negotiate a new deal. Second is that the Canucks have Thatcher Demko as their backup. Although Demko's NHL numbers don't look overly impressive, he is extremely talented and many believe he has the potential to become a solid starting goalie. Even though a Markstrom deal is the better option, if they can't come to terms on a contract, Demko may be able to step up and fill the void.
NPQ
