EDMONTON — Should the Edmonton Oilers be all-in on Jacob Markstrom?
Does Jesse Puljujarvi enjoy a nice slice of post-game pizza?
OK, let’s approach this another way.
What does almost every Stanley Cup-winning team have in common? They either have an elite, franchise goaltender like Andrei Vasilevskiy, Brayden Holtby, Marc-Andre Fleury, Corey Crawford or Jonathan Quick. Or they have a goalie who is playing at an elite level, like Jordan Binnington, Matt Murray or Dwayne Roloson back in the day.
Edmonton’s roster isn’t perfect. We get that that. There are other places general manager Ken Holland could spend his limited free-agent dollars. Third-line centre and better defencemen come to mind.
But in this cap world, nobody’s roster is perfect, right? If you put off landing an elite goaltender until you have the perfect roster to slot him into, it’s highly likely you’ll not be able to afford said goalie when that time arrives.
So, when you get a chance to add an elite goalie on a long-term deal, like Markstrom, do you not fill THAT need, then go on down the road hoping to upgrade the other areas of your team until it is Stanley Cup worthy?
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You build your team from the goal line out. Ever hear that one before?
It is, they’ve always told us, the most important position in hockey. And in a normal world with a constantly rising cap, Markstrom’s salary would likely start at somewhere around $7.5 million.
Beginning at 10 a.m. Mountain Time Friday, as both the Calgary Flames and Oilers hotly contest for the services of the soon-to-be former Vancouver Canuck, Markstrom is by some margin the best goaltender on the unrestricted free agent market. Why on earth would either of those teams — both making do with platoon systems because neither have a legit No. 1 — not be falling over themselves trying to solidify the position for the next six years?
Let’s talk about the player: over the past two seasons, among netminders who have played in over 100 games, only two goalies have a better save percentage than Markstrom’s .915: reigning Cup champion Vasilevskiy (.921) and current Vezina Trophy holder Connor Hellebuyck (.917).
Markstrom stands fifth in goals-against average (2.76) and ninth in games started with 103, or an average of 52 starts per season over the past two years. Yes, he had two injuries last season and turns 31 in January, but watching the young Canucks grow over the past four seasons, knowing that the one position they could count on was standing between the pipes, it was a glaring reminder about what confidence in the goaltending position can do for a team.
Markstrom is exactly what a young team that is figuring out how to win requires. He despises losing — hates it with a passion — and is beloved by teammates.
He is, frankly, a better Mike Smith, whose attitude was a welcome tonic in Edmonton last season. Like Markstrom, Smith was a prickly interview when things weren’t going well, both men unaccepting of the kind of mediocrity that is finally beginning to be eradicated in Edmonton. Both are alpha dogs in a macho world, which a goalie should be.
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So let’s talk money.
Edmonton has Connor McDavid at $12.5 million, Leon Draisaitl at $8.5 million and, sometime soon, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins at a long-term deal that we’ll peg at $7 million per. Add in Markstrom at $6.5 million and you’ve got four long-term players at a total of $34.5 million annually.
It’s a lot, but in that group you have the reigning Hart/Art Ross Trophy champ, a legit No. 1 goalie and a fantastic support winger/centre who scores 65 points a year. And you also have McDavid.
At $34.5 million, that’s not the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team that has four forwards eating up $40.5 million — with no goalie.
In a normal free agent period, what would the top goalie on the market receive? Whatever that number is, it is less today by at least a million, which makes this Thanksgiving weekend an excellent time to be in the market.
On top of that, with all the restricted free agents being let go to create cap room, there is a glut of lower-end NHL players to fill out your roster at not much more than $1 million apiece.
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Would Holland have to find a place to trade Mikko Koskinen and his $4.5-million salary? Sure, and he’d turn him into a Loui Eriksson, or a similarly priced position player.
The Oilers are bringing back Puljujarvi, the equivalent of a foray into the free agent market — even if Puljujarvi is still somewhat of a question mark. They need to find a way to deal with the potential loss of Oscar Klefbom, not a small issue.
If having one of the top goalies in hockey in your net every night makes every component in the watch run that much more smoothly, then nabbing Markstrom is part of that solution.
Edmonton was 25th in save percentage at five-on-five last season, 14th at all strengths, and ranked 15th in goals allowed per game. It is a team that can count on getting to three goals per game, and simply has to become more adept at holding the opposition to two.
Why not land the best available goalie, in a depressed UFA market, and check off that box in building a Stanley Cup contender?
