Top 50 Canucks players of all time: #43 – Jacob Markstrom

Join us this summer as we count down the top 50 Vancouver Canucks players of all time! #43: Jacob Markstrom

The end of Roberto Luongo’s tenure in Vancouver marked the start of Jacob Markstrom’s time as a Canuck.

Acquired a day before the NHL trade deadline alongside Shawn Mattias, the former first-round pick had lost some of his lustre as one of the best netminding prospects in the league. His save percentage in the NHL had declined for the second consecutive season, posting a .874 in 12 contests with the Florida Panthers before being dealt. His AHL numbers with the San Antonio Rampage were still solid, coming in with a 2.56 GAA and .918 SV%, but Markstrom had a lot to prove before becoming a full-time NHL player.

It didn’t look all too promising to start. Unable to make the team in 2014-15, Markstrom actually passed through waivers to spend the majority of the year with the Utica Comets, posting a stellar 1.88 GAA and .934 SV% in 33 appearances. That earned him a three-game stint at the end of the year, and while the numbers weren’t the most convincing, Markstrom was able to use that as a springboard to make the Canucks in 2015-16 full-time.

Markstrom’s time in Vancouver coincided with some of the worst teams in recent memory. Most nights, the Swede was the sole reason why the Canucks stood a fighting chance in those years when the franchise found themselves in the lottery. His numbers kept getting better season after season as Vancouver’s starter, peaking in his final season as a Canuck in 2019-20. In 43 contests, Markstrom recorded a 2.75 GAA and .918 SV% to earn himself a 10th-place finish in Vezina voting. And of course, who could forget his sparkling COVID bubble performance, along with the rest of the team, leading to actual questions about whether the Canucks would opt to move on from him or Thatcher Demko.

In seven total seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, Markstrom finished with 99 wins, good enough for sixth-best in franchise history. His 2.73 GAA is fourth-best amongst all Canuck netminders, and a .913 SV% was the third-best tally in Canuck history. Not bad for someone who all 29 other teams passed up on waivers, and a deserved inclusion in the franchise’s top 50 players of all time.

Our previously ranked top 50 Canucks of all-time:

#50 – Curt Fraser
#49 – Dave Babych
#48 – Martin Gelinas
#47 – Chris Oddleifson
#46 – Jannik Hansen
#45 – Ivan Boldirev
#44 – Gary Smith