San Jose Sharks: 3 free agent goalies to target in the offseason
By Matt Hawkins
2. Jacob Markstrom
Jacob Markstrom struggled for the better part of his 10-year NHL career, not having a GAA under 3.00 and SV% above .905 in his first three full seasons in the league. However, now 30-years-old, Markstrom has seemed to figure it out, putting together five solid seasons in a row.
Over the last three seasons, Markstrom has solidified his spot and the Vancouver Canucks starting goalie, playing in 163 games and starting 160 of them since the beginning of the 2017-18 season.
In this time, Markstrom has a .914 SV%, 2.74 GAA, .552 QS%, and all five of his five career shutouts. Last year he was in consideration for the Vezina Trophy, the award for best goalie in the NHL.
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In 43 games this year, Markstrom has a .918 SV%, 2.75 GAA, .581 QS%, and two shutouts. This is Markstrom’s best season as a full-time starter and if he hits free agency, he’ll be asking for top dollar.
Markstrom will be coming off a three-year deal with an AAV of $3,666,667. If the Sharks want to sign him, they’ll probably have to offer up a four-to-five-year contract with an AAV between $5 million to $7 million.
With Markstrom potentially costing so much, the Sharks will have to make some moves. This could mean a buy out of defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic or a trade of forward Tomas Hertl.