Calgary’s signing of Markstrom changes dynamic of the team
30-year-old goalie had been the backbone for the Canucks
CALGARY - Calgary Flames goaltending coach Jordan Sigalet has the same homework project every off-season.
As the puck-stopping expert at the Saddledome, he’s counted on for a thorough assessment of any netminder who could be available on the free-agent or trade market.
“It’s a lot of video, a lot of background info, trying to find out about injury history, character, all that stuff … ” Sigalet explained. “I put a list together every year with guys that I see as a No. 1, guys I see as a No. ½ , guys I see as a good No. 3 and then guys that you think might pop and have a chance to be a No. 1 someday. And then on top of that, you’re putting trade acquisition lists together. You look at the league and who might be willing to move a goalie, so you rank those guys, as well.
“And then that goes to management, and they combine that list with all the goalies that our scouts have ranked, too, and go from there.”
Typically, those lists remain top-secret.
But Sigalet doesn’t mind sharing who he’d concluded was cream of the crop.
The Flames, after all, landed that big prize, signing Jacob Markstrom — ex of the Vancouver Canucks — to a six-year, US$36-million mega-deal on the first day of free agency.
“He was the top, I think, of everyone’s list,” Sigalet said.
Markstrom, 30, has been the backbone for the Canucks, one of the main reasons that young squad performed beyond expectations this past season.
He had his pick of potential destinations in the Pacific Division, with the Edmonton Oilers reportedly offering a seven-year contract at a lower annual salary.
It’s believed there were several other teams in the bidding for the gent who finished fourth in Vezina Trophy voting.
“I think he’s the best goalie in the league,” declared fellow Flames newbie Chris Tanev, a stay-at-home defenceman who followed Markstom to Calgary on a four-year pact worth US$4.5 million per campaign. “He’s stood on his head for us in Vancouver for the last few years, works extremely hard and he’s been the MVP of our team over there for the past two or three seasons.
“And as a person, he’s always smiling. He’s always having fun. He brings a lot of energy to the team and he works extremely hard. All good traits to have.”
Indeed. All confirmed, too, by Sigalet’s studies.
“He’s an elite goalie in the league and I think he’s just starting to come into his prime now,” Sigalet said of Markstrom, an imposing presence at 6-foot-6 and 206 lb. “With what he has done the last three years there in Vancouver, you just see him get better and better every year. He gave that team a chance to win every night, no matter how many shots or chances he saw. You can just see that his battle, his compete level and his will to want to win is what separates him from other goalies. To get him, it changes the dynamic of our team.
“And everything you hear is how big of a piece he was in that dressing room as a leader,” he continued. “I think he leads a lot by example. You hear a lot about his work ethic in practice, how he leaves it all on the table and how bad he wants to win. You do all your research and talk to different people to make sure you’re getting a good character guy. And it sounds like we’re getting a great one.
“I think it’s a guy who has really matured since he was drafted in Florida. It took him a while to figure it out. He went up and down through waivers a couple of times and spent his time in the minors, but he’s definitely matured into a real pro, and you can see it on the ice and you hear a lot about it from guys he has played with.”