Canucks should deal Markstrom before it's too late

The Vancouver Canucks need to trade Jacob Markstrom.

Sooner rather than later.

That seems like a crazy idea – given that Markstrom is the NHL club’s starting goaltender – but it makes sense in both the short and long terms.

Why? Let us count the reasons.

1.      Markstrom is not the team’s goaltender of the future.

Current backup Thatcher Demko, 22, fits that role for now, and rookie Michael DiPietro, 20, is also a strong candidate. NHL goaltenders typically take longer to develop than skaters, and Demko is entering his fifth pro season. He is at the point where he needs more playing time as the Canucks prepare to become Stanley Cup contenders in the next two or three years.

Meanwhile, Markstrom, 30, is in the final year of his contract and slated to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. If the Canucks re-sign him, they could delay the development of both Demko and DiPietro.

DiPietro is ticketed to start his career in the minors but, based on an impressive body of work as a junior, he could be an exception to the general rule about goaltenders needing more time to develop. DiPietro has won a Memorial Cup and an OHL title, backstopped Canada’s 2019 world junior team to a silver medal – following a 2-1 overtime loss to Finland in the gold-medal game – and served as the Canadian senior men’s team third-string goaltender at the worlds. He also appeared in one game for the Canucks on an emergency-recall basis last season. He appears likely to start his full-time pro career in the ECHL –  but may not be there long.

2.      The Canucks can afford to gamble on goaltending.

When it comes to making the playoffs this season, the Canucks will likely be a bubble team – with or without Markstrom as their starter. By platooning Demko and a goaltender acquired from another club, they could ease some salary-cap pressures, still battle for a playoff spot (thanks to their bolstered offensive and defensive ranks) and further the effort to become a Stanley Cup contender.

Last season, two teams – the New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes – benefited from platoon systems as they both qualified for the playoffs. The Islanders turned their fortunes around from the previous season as they finished second in the Metropolitan Division after missing the playoffs in 2017-18. The Hurricanes achieved even more as they reached the Eastern Conference finals. Carolina’s platoon system paid off in the post-season as Curtis McElhinney replaced the injured Petr Mrazek and helped the Hurricanes advance.

Now that teams have reduced their rosters for the start of the regular season, several goaltenders will be available in the relatively near future. Tampa Bay sent Louis Domingue to the minors after signing McElhinney as a free agent in the off-season. Domingue, who went 21-5-0 last season and is on an expiring contract, would be an ideal short-term fit for Vancouver. He is one of several other low-cost goaltenders with extensive NHL or minor-league experience who could be obtained for little in return. Others include Darcy Kuemper, who became Arizona’s starter last season following an injury to Antti Raanta and kept the Coyotes in the playoff hunt. But Raanta is healthy and Arizona has claimed Eric Comrie, 24, on waivers from the Winnipeg Jets. With Raanta healthy again and on a long-term contract, Kuemper appears destined to depart at some point this season. Comrie, once a highly touted junior star, spent six years in the Winnipeg organization and fared reasonably well during that time. Like DiPietro, he played some pro games while still of junior age, albeit in the minors, and could now be ready for permanent NHL employment. Comrie could also become available again, because he would have to clear waivers if the Coyotes want to send him down and keep Kuemper.

3.      Markstrom’s numbers make him expendable.

In Markstrom’s case, the off-ice numbers – in a contract – are probably more detrimental than his on-ice stats. By moving him and his current $3.6-million salary elsewhere, Vancouver can ease salary-cap pressures that have been exacerbated by the $3-million recapture penalty resulting from former Canuck Roberto Luongo’s retirement. The Canucks have limited cap space, even after shipping veteran winger Sven Baertschi to the minors, and could face more pressure – and another likely player move – when winger Antoine Roussel returns from a knee injury suffered last season. 

Markstrom’s on-ice numbers – in the form of wins, losses and save percentage, among other stats – do not justify keeping him, either. He was perceived as having a breakout season in 2018-19 while posting a .921 save percentage in his final 40 games. Goaltending coach Ian Clark has stated that Markstrom crossed a proverbial bridge to become a better puck stopper after improving on the .897 save percentage posted in his first 20 contests.

Markstrom ranked highly in 2018-19 advanced goaltender analytics, and some observers have argued that he stopped tougher shots than he did in 2017-18. But his 23 wins were three fewer than the career-best 26 that he posted a season earlier.  Also, his overall .912 save percentage in 2018-19 matched the figure that he recorded in 2017-18, and his goals-against average increased slightly to 2.77 in 2018-19 from 2.71 in the previous season. The latter stats are not considered overly reliable by goaltending experts, who believe they are influenced by a team’s overall quality. The same goes for wins. 

But general managers do look at those figures when deciding whether to re-sign a goalie. Markstrom has never posted a winning record in the NHL with either the Canucks or his previous team, the Florida Panthers – and he has only three career shutouts. Granted, he played on some bad teams in both places; however, he rarely, if ever, stole wins. He has become good at keeping his team in tight games, something every club expects its top goaltender to do, but he has yet to demonstrate that he is an elite talent.

And, the Canucks will need an elite netminder before they can return to the Stanley Cup finals.

4.      No matter how well he plays, Markstrom is likely to receive less playing time this season.

In each of the past two seasons, Markstrom appeared in 60 games, but he is likely to get fewer starts in 2019-21 as the Canucks ramp up Demko’s development. If Demko wins the starting role, a reasonable possibility if he excels early, Markstrom could become a high-priced backup as general manager Jim Benning grapples with minimal cap space. The biggest risk with Demko is his lack of NHL action. He has only nine career games under his skates, but his successes in college and the minors suggest that he can shine in the world’s top league.

Coach Travis Green could opt to platoon Markstrom and Demko, but that scenario would not resolve salary-cap issues – and may not significantly affect Vancouver’s playoff hopes. A better solution would be to platoon Demko with a low-cost goaltender acquired from another team.

5.      Both the Canucks organization and Markstrom will be better off if he moves on.

Many NHL starting goaltenders earn more than Markstrom does now. Based on his starter status and experience, he will likely want a significant raise – i.e. upwards of $5 million to $6 million per season. Undoubtedly, he will also want some security in the form of a long-term deal and a no-trade or limited no-movement clause.

But the Canucks are unlikely to grant any of those requests due to his age and track record, the team’s goaltending depth and the salary cap crunch. Even if Markstrom receives a costly contract spanning just three years, that would cause more headaches for Benning when it comes time to re-sign the likes of Demko, who is in the first year of a two-year extension, and young stars Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Quinn Hughes, among others. If Markstrom signs for more than three years, his contract could become an albatross and prevent Benning from acquiring key additions when the Canucks, theoretically, are in Cup contention. Undoubtedly, Benning will try to prevent Markstrom’s contract from burdening the team the way Loui Eriksson’s six-year $36-million deal has. Furthermore, the Canucks need to get something in return for their top goaltender after investing in his development for the past five-plus seasons. Markstrom is the only piece left from the Luongo trade, and the club needs to salvage some form of a return from that horrendous deal.

The Luongo trade did not happen on Benning’s watch, but it behooves the GM to get a decent return for Markstrom to offset the damage caused by the former Canuck’s move to Florida. In case you have not heard (a million times) by now, the salary-cap-recapture penalty from Luongo’s contract has constrained Vancouver’s cap.

Meanwhile, Markstrom has a chance to earn a better deal by playing elsewhere. His market value will be enhanced if he is traded during the season and shines with another club. If he plays fewer games with the Canucks and is not moved before he becomes a UFA, his market value and the demand for his services will decrease. 

Several veteran goaltenders – including Stanley Cup winners Braden Holtby of Washington, Jimmy Howard of Detroit, Matt Murray of Pittsburgh and Corey Crawford of Chicago – are slated to become UFAs in the summer of 2020. Robin Lehner, who won the William M. Jennings trophy, and was a finalist for the Vezina with the Islanders in 2019-20 and has joined Chicago on a one-year deal, will also be a UFA again if he does not re-sign with the Blackhawks before July 1. Several other younger goalies facing free agency may also be worth acquiring. The expansion draft for the new Seattle team could also factor into Markstrom’s future, because the Canucks will probably only manage to protect one goaltender.

In other words, Markstrom is not guaranteed of receiving the money or term he wants.

Markstrom also wants to win a Stanley Cup before he retires. By signing what may be the final contract of his career with the Canucks, he could hamper his chances of kissing the Cup.

6.      Markstrom’s departure from Vancouver appears inevitable.

For many, if not all, of the above reasons, this will probably be Markstrom’s final season in Vancouver.  Under different circumstances (i.e. a shortage of goaltender prospects and ample cap space), it would make sense to re-sign him. He is a character guy, has displayed some increased skill at times and gives the team confidence on many nights. But the Canucks will be reluctant to re-sign him to anything beyond a two-year deal, and he will likely want to move on. The fact that Benning has not re-signed him yet indicates that negotiations have stalled – or they never started.

Contrary to critics' views, Benning is reasonably smart. He will not let Markstrom go for nothing.

Now, it is just a matter of time before he trades him.

Whitecaps spoil Rooney's rare visit

Wayne Rooney drew a crowd Saturday night, but he did not dazzle it.

The Vancouver Whitecaps held the former English Premier League star in check, blanking Rooney’s D.C. United squad 1-0 before a sellout crowd of 22,120 at B.C. Place Stadium. Rooney, making his first – and probably last – Major League Soccer appearance in Vancouver rarely touched the ball during the run of play.

That was not so much a case of Rooney playing poorly. It was more a case of Vancouver closing the door defensively.

“We were, by far, the better team, created the better chances,” said Rooney who, unlike many visiting stars to B.C. Place this season, made himself available to reporters promptly after the contest. “We were very unlucky not to get anything out of the game.”

The Whitecaps (6-12-9) ended their home losing streak at six games. They registered their first home win since May 25 against FC Dallas.

But D.C. (10-8-9) outshone the hosts in almost every statistical category by a wide margin – except one: Shots on target. Both teams had two and the Whitecaps scored on one of theirs, when Yordy Reyna converted a sublime pass from Russell Teibert in the 18th minute.

Vancouver rookie goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, who has been a rainbow during a season full of dark clouds, recorded his fifth shutout of the campaign – an amazing feat number considering that the Caps have just six wins.

“Any clean sheet feels amazing,” said Crepeau. “At that point, it’s three points. After that, it’s keeping a clean sheet. If it’s against Rooney, even better. It’s a great evening.”

With the Whitecaps destined to miss the playoffs and going through a management reorganization, Rooney was the primary drawing card. The crowd cheered the former Manchester United icon during the pre-game introductions and offered a mixture of jeers and cheers when he touched the ball – mostly on free kicks and corner-kicks. He also received a nice – but not overwhelming – round of applause when he subbed off in the 74th minute.

“The stadium is very nice,” he said. “The fans are good, too.”

After exiting the pitch, he castigated the fourth official for a lack of hand-ball calls on the Whitecaps in their 18-yard box and perceived recent poor officiating. Later, while speaking with reporters, he noted he had been criticizing the officiating lately, expressed his belief in his right to do so, and called on Howard Webb, the league’s head of officiating, to come to D.C. and explain how calls were made.

Rooney also expressed concerns about long coach-class air travel to Vancouver.

“The travel doesn’t help, obviously,” he said. “It was a very long trip, two flights. Maybe we should have used one of the charter flights to come here.”

MLS limits the number of flights that teams may take during a season. A loss by an eastern team on the West Coast due to travel fatigue is nothing new. But Rooney refused to use the long travel as an excuse for his lack of output.

“It’s part of the job, unfortunately, so you have to do it,” he said. “But there’s a better way to do it. Unfortunately, we didn’t take that way.”

Travel fatigue was likely not a factor. D.C. outshot the Caps 24-8, held roughly a 65-35 edge in possession percentage and was much accurate than Vancouver with passes and crosses. While Rooney did not exactly shine, he deserved credit just for showing up.

In the past, some eastern-based stars have found reasons not to come to Vancouver, because of the artificial turf at B.C. Place and other factors. But, Rooney, who recently ventured back to the U.K. to announce that he would serve as a player-coach with Derby County starting in January, said he was all-in for the game – charter or no charter.

“There was no reason for me not to come on this trip,” he said.

“(The possibility of Rooney staying home from a long road game) was never an issue,” added D.C. coach Ben Olsen. “We talked about that. That’s what it is. He’s on the team and he’ll come to every game that we play if he’s healthy, and that was the case.”

Whitecaps coach Marc Dos Santos said the club strived to prevent D.C. from getting through balls to Rooney between defenders, who were instructed to be compact in front of the net and allow D.C. to make crosses from the wings.

“What I told the players before the game is: even if many people come to see Rooney, the sum of our parts (has) to be the difference maker,” said Dos Santos. “I think that today in every facet of the game, in everything we did, there was such a commitment from everyone. I’m proud of that, there’s no sign of this team giving up.”

Dos Santos is evaluating players for their commitment to the team’s long-term cause, especially after some humiliating losses at home. It went without saying that the Whitecaps have little to play for the rest of the season. So a win over the legendary Wayne Rooney’s squad added some meaning to a lost season.

However, Teibert contended that the Caps did not do anything special to deter him from scoring.

“Our approach to the game is: We have to stick to what we do defensively,” said Teibert. “We’ve been sound defensively in the past four games. We have to keep building on that. Rooney is a big name, he attracts a lot of attention everywhere he goes, but our game plan was essentially the same.”

Whitecaps seeking more firepower after draw with TFC

Now, the decisions begin for Marc Dos Santos.
The Vancouver Whitecaps coach has begun a search for more firepower in advance of the international transfer window that opens July 7. Vancouver's need for more offensive talent was evident in Vancouver's 1-1 tie Friday with Toronto FC.
"The run they've made (in May) has been fantastic," said Dos Santos, noting the Caps (4-6-6) have earned 17 points in their last 11 games. "There's a lot of positives. But, now, it's obvious that you need to reinforce what's here already."
Toronto FC (5-6-3) rallied to tie the game in the 90th minute as second-half substitute Nick DeLeon's attempted cross deflected in off a Vancouver defender. The goal came after Fredy Montero had given the Whitecaps a 1-0 lead on a penalty-kick in the 84th minute.
He suggested the Whitecaps were fortunate to earn a point .
"We have to admit that the tie is fair," he said. "That's a fair result for both teams. If we don't admit that, then we're delusional and we don't progress as a team."

Vancouver's offence was disjointed most o the night, even though the Caps held an edge in ball possession (approximately 52 per cent to 48 per cent) in the first half. Toronto enjoyed a 63-per-cent to 37 per cent edge in the second half.

"I have to rewatch the game, but looking at it and thinking about it quickly, I think that once we got possession in their half (of the pitch), especially in the first half, it was sloppy, bad decision-making on the ball, missed passes," said Dos Santos. "It wasn't good, in my opinion. I think it was probably our worst first half this year, and that made it obvious that it was difficult for us then to create chances."
Whitecaps goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau prevented Toronto from turning the game into a rout as he made three difficult saves in a three-minute span in the second half before any scoring occurred. DeLeon's goal came at a time when Dos Santos was looking to sub off midfielder Hwang In-Beom, who had been hurt in the first half and was cramping and very fatig

Dos Santos said he wanted to sub off Hwang In-Beom because he "was cramping a lot and was very fatigued" before Toronto scored, but he was not able to because the ball did not go out of play.

"And then there's a lack of pressure on our left side, their right side," said Dos Santos. "From there, the play comes in. I didn't see the goal yet. I think it got deflected, and it's unfortunate because we wanted to make the sub. ... I felt they got in easy there and got the cross in that deflected in."

"We're solid defending crosses and I don't have no words for this play when the ball is on DeLeon's foot coming in, Ali (Adnan) is doing his job trying to block the cross and then it's going past me (and) kisses the post really close," said Crepeau. "It's difficult to end up the game like that. It's heartbreaking."

Vancouver received a chance to steal a win as Montero converted his penalty-kick after second half substitute Yordy Reyna was taken down in the Toronto box on a breakaway by Reds defender Drew Moor. But the Whitecaps let up in the five minutes after the goal as the Reds became much more desperate, and DeLeon emerged as the hero.

“A loss really would have deflated a lot of guys," said DeLeon.  'Just to fight back with how much time was on the clock, I think, was big for us.” 

He said the Reds, who have struggled for much of the season while star striker Jozy Altidore battled injury, can build off the comeback tie heading into the three-week international break.. In the meantime, the Whitecaps were left to ponder what might have been on a night when they feted their 1979 Soccer Bowl championship team.

Many of the 1979 team's stars, including Willie Johnston and former coach Tony Waiters, were honoured before the game.

"It was a special night," said Dos Santos. "Unfortunately, we didn't give them the win."  .

 

Crepeau backstops Whitecaps to win over Timbers

Maxime Crepeau had plenty of action Friday night – and he did not disappoint.

Crepeau made five saves as the Vancouver Whitecaps blanked the Portland Timbers 1-0 at B.C. Place Stadium. The saves total was a bit misleading, although Crepeau, a 24-year-old Greenfield Park, Que., native, stopped mostly difficult shots. He was under siege for much of the night as the Whitecaps (3-5-3) scored early and hung on for their second straight win, moving into playoff contention in the process.

Fredy Montero scored the game’s only goal in the ninth minutes as he took a pass from Russell Teibert in the Timbers box and roofed a shot inside the near post.

Portland (3-6-1) was credited with 27 shots in all – with five on target, 15 off target and another seven blocked by Vancouver defenders. By comparison, the Caps only recorded 12 shots altogether.

But Crepeau was not complaining about Portland’s barrage.

"Tonight, the heat lamp was a little bit more on our side. It was back and forth.

"It's easier for me to be focused when we have action. If you are having one action every 35 minutes, you really need to keep up mentally for that ball. If the ball is coming in waves and waves, you are right in there."

Crepeau earned his third shutout of the season while logging his 10th start. Not bad considering that he played in lower tiers before earning his first permanent Major League Soccer spot this season. 

Vancouver’s starting goalkeeper job was up for grabs as the start of the campaign after the Whitecaps jettisoned both of their stoppers after missing the playoffs in 2018. But Crepeau, who was acquired in a trade in December from the Montreal Impact for $50,000 in targeted allocation money and a third-round 2020 SuperDraft pick, has relegated American veteran Zac MacMath to a backup role.

The Caps paid a much higher price for MacMath, sending pesky midfielder Nicolas Mezquida and $100,000 in TAM to the Colorado Rapids.

Despite being part of Canada’s men’s national program, Crepeau was a relative unknown. But he has a strong pedigree. In 2018, he recorded a USL single-season record with 15 clean sheets while on loan to Ottawa Fury FC. He won the circuit’s goalkeeper of the year award, posting 82 saves with a 72.6 save percentage with a 1.00 goals-against average.

Now, Crepeau has the Whitecaps dreaming of more success.

"We are happy,” he said. “It was an important win. We want to keep going with three wins in a row (after the next meeting) against Atlanta (on Wednesday).”

Meanwhile, the Timbers headed home unhappy, largely because of Crepeau.

“(Give) credit to their goalkeeper (and) to their team” said Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese. “They defended well. They sacrificed. But I thought also, we were really unlucky today. We did a lot of good things. We created a lot of chances. We moved the ball well. We dominated -- especially in the second half. Yes, they did have counters. But we dealt very well with the counters."

The Timbers earned 12 corner-kicks as a result of their steady pressure – but could not capitalize.

"We had many corners, many shots, a lot of possessions," said Savarese. "But, unfortunately, that doesn't win you games. Unfortunately, what we missed today was the goals."