Flames' Markstrom approaching history for single-season goalie assists
It’s been quite the season for Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom.
Not only is he back giving the Flames Vezina-calibre goaltender after an off 2022-23 season, but he has made a surprisingly significant impact offensively. The 34-year-old has always been a good puck handler, but had never topped three assists in a single season.
Markstrom is blowing that total out of the water, as he is already up to five this season. That total is destroying his competition, as no other goalie in the NHL has registered more than two.
The Flames have 23 games remaining this season. Based on his starts so far, Markstrom is slated to be in the pipes for roughly 14 of those games, assuming he remains in Calgary past the trade deadline. That said, he has also missed brief periods due to injury, and the Flames are still very much alive in the playoff race. In all reality, he could see closer to 18 or 19 starts in that span.
He still has a ways to go, but by the time the season is wrapped up, Markstrom has a chance to be near the top of the leaderboard for all-time assists from a goalie in a single season.
Leading that list is Grant Fuhr, who managed a ridiculous 14 helpers in 1983-84 with the Edmonton Oilers. While Markstrom won’t touch that, he has a chance to tie the second-highest total of nine, set by Curtis Joseph when he was with the St. Louis Blues in 1991-92.
Should Markstrom record just one more assist this season, it will mark the 22nd time in NHL history that a goalie has had more than five helpers. The most recent to do so was Karri Lehtonen, who had six for the Dallas Stars during the 2010-11 season.
While assists generally don’t factor in whatsoever when it comes to Vezina Trophy voting, it is fair to wonder if Markstrom’s great season in that category could help push him over the edge. He is right near the leaderboard in several statistics this season, and is on track to be named a Vezina finalist for the second time in his career. Whether or not he will win will depend largely on how he performs during this final stretch.