The Calgary Flames are getting everything they could have possibly hoped from Jacob Markstrom right now. After a slow start to the season, the 33-year-old has been on fire as of late, and is a big reason as to why his team sits just two points shy of the Seattle Kraken for a playoff spot.
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Given how well Markstrom has played as of late, many fans are pointing to the greatness he has displayed throughout the 2021-22 season and are hoping he can sustain this level of play for the remainder of the year. In that 2021-22 season, he was one of the league’s best goaltenders and finished as a Vezina Trophy finalist for the first time in his career. While there is still plenty of season to go, there is one NHL analyst who believes he may get that nod for the second time.
Woodley Believes Markstrom is in Vezina Conversation
NHL analyst and goalie guru Kevin Woodley has been a supporter of Markstrom’s for several years and is a big fan of what he has done this season. In fact, in a recent appearance on Sportsnet 960’s Flames Talk with Pat Steinberg, Woodley suggested that the Flames netminder should be in the Vezina conversation.
“I don’t even look at goals against average (GAA). To be honest, I don’t even look at save percentage (SV%) anymore because there’s just not enough context in it. So when I pull up the numbers on Jacob Markstrom on Clear Sight Analytics, this is a guy who should arguably be in the Vezina Trophy conversation. He’s third in the league right now in goals saved above expected. The only two guys ahead of him are Thatcher Demko, and it’s by just over a goal, and Linus Ullmark, who is like 0.7 of a goal ahead of him. He’s playing at a top three level in terms of cumulative stats.”
Woodley was quick to point out that due to his work, he is able to get inside looks at the Clear Sight Analytics website he mentioned, giving him a different perspective on goaltending than the average fan. There is certainly some merit to his point in that both GAA and SV% often don’t tell the whole story of a goaltender’s performance.
Markstrom Not Playing at That Level
While the numbers Woodley provides do have merit, it is false to suggest that Markstrom is a Vezina candidate at this point in the season. Perhaps numbers like GAA and SV% shouldn’t be used as often to judge goaltenders, but many voters still do look at those categories. Those put Markstrom well outside the Vezina conversation, as his 2.65 GAA ranks 20th among goalies with 10 or more appearances this season, while his .907 SV% is 25th.
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To give an example of those numbers compared to a Vezina winner, last season saw Ullmark take home the award with a 1.89 GAA along with a .938 SV%. Granted, he had one of the better statistical seasons we have ever seen from a goaltender, but it still shows that Markstrom’s numbers are nowhere close to being considered a frontrunner, or even a potential candidate, for the award.
One thing that is going in Markstrom’s favour is that there are few goalies having exceptional seasons thus far. The typical big names such as Igor Shesterkin, Ilya Sorokin, Juuse Saros, and Andrei Vasilevskiy have all struggled, opening the door for many to claim the award. While Markstrom isn’t in the running yet, the opportunity is still there. If he can compile stats for the remainder of the season similar to his 2.20 GAA and .921 SV% in the month of December, he may very well be named as a finalist. That said, if he regresses back to average play for the remainder of the year, or even below average as he was through October and November, he won’t be anywhere close.
