Goaltender Jacob Markstrom barely got any playing time with Vancouver behind Eddie Lack after being acquired in the Roberto Luongo trade in March. His situation only got worse after the Canucks signed Ryan Miller this summer, but Markstrom is doing everything he can to stay positive.
“Obviously, I wanted to play,” Markstrom told the Vancouver Province. “But if you put your energy on ‘Why am I not playing? Why is this happening?’, it’s not going to make you a better goalie.”
Markstrom felt the off-ice work he did during his tenure with Vancouver in 2013-14 was beneficial and he added that he wouldn’t have made the journey from his native Sweden if he felt that he didn’t have a shot with the Canucks this season.
“Goalies are a special position,” Markstrom said. “There is only one No. 1 spot on every team and there are only 30 teams.
“How many goalies want to be starters? There will always be two or three goalies knocking on the door for most teams.
“They want to take your job. That’s how it is.”
Markstrom will work to stay in the competition in Vancouver. If he doesn’t beat Lack in the battle for the backup job, the Canucks will either have to trade him, expose his contract to waivers, or keep Markstrom on the roster as a third goaltender. He has a season left on his two-year, $2.4 million contract and the 24-year-old will be a restricted free agent next summer.
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