When the Flames made this move it impacted all 3 Western Canadian teams. Vancouver lost their starter and MVP of their second round run however they had to let him go thanks to the looming expansion draft. It was the right call for the Canucks as Demko is a top end goalie who is younger and cheaper.
The 2 Alberta teams were ready to pounce and the Flames 6x6 beat out the Oilers 5x7 offer by $1M. Markstrom chose the nicer city where there are many of his countrymen opposed to the team with the best player in the world. Oiler fans haven’t been too negatively impacted as their duo has held together so far.
The Flames however are so happy with their investment despite an up and down first year. He had 7 shutouts in 52 games played for the team. This year I was convinced this season would hinge on Markstrom but they are scoring a lot more goals than I expected. This team has elite numbers across the board and the goal differential of an elite team. This Markstrom pickup has been key in the Flames looking like a legit contender right now.
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