On Dec. 5, 2023, the Calgary Flames watched their number goalie, Jacob Markstrom, break his finger in practice. As a wild card contender in the Western Conference, it was a significant blow to the playoff push since he’s been one of their most valuable players 31 games into the season. Whether people want to cheer him or boo him, there’s no denying without Markstrom, the Flames would be in a full-blown rebuild, struggling to get wins with young, unproven netminders in his place.
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At the end of the 2019-20 season, the Calgary Flames employed Cam Talbot and David Rittich, with the latter playing in the most games (48), leading the team to a 36-27-7 record. Meanwhile, the team still had Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, two young stars ready to carry the team to the next step.
So in the summer of 2020, then-general manager Brad Treliving acquired former All-Star Jacob Markstrom, inking the Swedish netminder to a six-year deal with $36 million. Although the results were mixed that first season, Markstrom turned into a Vezina Trophy finalist in no time, going 37-15-9 with a league-leading nine shutouts in his second season.
Of course, his tenure hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows; with an average year in 2022-23, many fans wanted to move Markstrom to make room for Dustin Wolf, the reigning American Hockey League’s Most Valuable Player. Even though some nights he doesn’t look like a $6 million goalie, while others he looks like a bargain, Markstrom is one of the main reasons the franchise has stayed in contention during his tenure, as evidenced by the team’s recent 2-3-2 record without him in 2023-24.
Flames Struggled Without Markstrom in December
At first glance, most people would say the Flames have handled Markstrom’s absence better than expected and were a handful for two of the best teams (Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights) in the Western Conference until the final buzzer. Unfortunately, they lost both games by one goal, with Dan Vladar and Wolf splitting the defeats on back-to-back nights.
Initially, this situation occurred when Vladar was thrust into the starting role against the Minnesota Wild and gave up three goals on 16 shots before getting yanked after 21 minutes. Although Wolf eventually took the loss, surrendering three goals, the rookie collected his first win against the Carolina Hurricanes several nights later.
After that contest, Calgary lost four straight, dropping contests to the New Jersey Devils, Avalanche, Golden Knights, and Wild (again). Luckily, Vladar had a bounceback game against the Tamp Bay Lightning on Saturday night, which ended the losing streak at four games.
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During this stretch without Markstrom, Vladar and Wolf have combined for 25 goals against, equaling a 3.12 goals-against average (GAA) while producing a .891 save percentage (SV%). As good as that is, those numbers don’t compare to Markstrom’s 2.79 GAA and .904 SV% numbers through 16 games. However, Vladar is the only netminder with a winning record this season, at 5-4-2, ahead of Markstrom (6-8-2) and Wolf (1-2-1).
Dissecting Flames’ Statistics Without Markstrom
Since the start of the 2020-21 season, the Flames have played 251 games, with Markstrom skating in 181 of them, which accounts for 72% of the schedule. Overall, he’s earned an 88-63-25 record after 10,573 minutes, with 16 shutouts, a 2.62 GAA, and a .906 SV%.
Meanwhile, Markstrom has shared the crease with Rittich, Artyon Zagidilin, Louis Domingue, Vladar, and Wolf. Collectively, they have played 84 games with a 38-26-11 record. Additionally, the backups have played just 4,531 minutes, picking up three shutouts with a 2.97 GAA and .898 Sv%.
During his tenure with the club, the Flames are 126-89-36, which equals a .502 win percentage, with Markstrom earning a .486 win percentage, about 30 points ahead of the backups, who combine for a .452 total. Now that Markstrom is set to return to the net, Calgary’s chances of winning games and moving up the standings significantly grow.
As mentioned, whether fans love or dislike him, Markstrom’s performance over the past four seasons has been a key to Calgary’s success. Realistically, he could be a valuable addition to the lineup as the Flames remain contenders for a wildcard spot, a position they missed out on by a single point last season.
