Jacob Markstrom will determine if Flames are successful this season
The Calgary Flames are looking to bounce back after an ugly 2022-23 season, and Jacob Markstrom will play a significant role in whether or not that happens.
There were plenty of reasons for the Flames’ struggles last season. New players like Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri failed to gel how former general manager Brad Treliving envisioned, while several others butted heads with Darryl Sutter all year.
While many struggled, perhaps the most disappointing of the bunch was the play of Markstrom. After a 2021-22 season in which he was named a Vezina finalist, the 33-year-old regressed in a big way, registering a 2.92 goals against average (GAA) along with a .892 save percentage (SV%) and a 23-21-12 record.
In Markstrom’s defence, the team in front of him wasn’t very good last season. That said, anyone watching the Flames on a nightly basis could tell you that he didn’t give them a chance to win night in and night out like a season prior. He was allowing goals throughout the year on what should have been routine saves and never seemed to be able to put together any stretch of consistent play.
Despite the Flames’ roster facing questions, given the contract statuses of several players, they are expected to be much better this coming season. While they certainly have the talent to do so, it will all depend on which version of Markstrom shows up.
If Markstrom struggles, the Flames don’t have another option they can count on to step into his workhorse load. Dan Vladar hasn’t shown that he could be capable of such during his two years with the Flames, and expecting rookie Dustin Wolf to be able to do so is an unrealistic expectation.
Given the $6 million price tag the Flames are paying Markstrom, the expectation amongst the organization is that he will get his play back on track. He has struggled in two of his three years since signing in Calgary, making him somewhat unpredictable as we head into the 2023-24 campaign. If he can perform at a level similar to what he did in 2021-22, there is a good chance the Flames will find themselves back in the playoffs at the season’s end.
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