Vancouver Canucks: Time to Make G Jacob Markstrom the Starter
Though Ryan Miller has enjoyed a remarkable 11-year NHL career, it’s time for the Vancouver Canucks to go with the younger and better option
The Vancouver Canucks have tried this two-goalie system for far too long now, and it hasn’t worked.
Remember when they had Cory Schneider and Roberto Luongo? Both men are gone now. News flash: the Canucks didn’t win a Stanley Cup with both Schneider and Luongo.
Heck, the Canucks were out of the first round in the 2012 and 2013 playoffs after using both goalies. Isn’t it a lot easier to just stick with one?
Granted, Schneider and Luongo were both top-10 netminders when the two were in Vancouver. But this time around, there’s zero debating who the better goalie is between Ryan Miller and Jacob Markstrom (all stats via NHL.com).
Miller: 4-9, 2.80 GAA, .907 save percentage
Markstrom: 6-3-2, 2.73 GAA, .902 save percentage
If general manager Jim Benning wants to convince fans that the team truly is rebuilding, then why is a 36-year-old Miller getting more starts? Why isn’t Markstrom the undisputed number one goalie yet?
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When’s the last time a “rebuilding” team kept a starting goalie over the age of 30, when he was outplayed by the younger option? Probably never.
Even though the Canucks are “rebuilding,” they’ve also tried to compete for a playoff spot at the same time. The goal is to win games, and starting the superior goalie happens to be your best chance of winning each night.
Miller isn’t the same Vezina Trophy candidate he was with the Buffalo Sabres all those years. He’s not coming back when his contract expires on July 1, 2017.
Furthermore, Miller could easily be a solid trade chip at the trade deadline. The Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames could sure use another veteran in hopes of making a run in the playoffs.
The Canucks can’t just throw the season away. They need to see what Markstrom looks like as a legitimate number one netminder. He certainly does his part in keeping his team in games, so isn’t it time for him to become the Vancouver Canucks full-time starter?
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