[Calgary4LIfe]

I subscribe to the notion of 'second guessing' and/or 'over-compensating'. I think Markstrom always put in a big effort. I don't think for a second that he 'sulked' at all. I think it was 100% confidence + bad tendencies building up. I think some goalies don't have the ability to become #1 goalies - whether that's a mental issue, or an athletic issue (or both). I think some goalies were, but injuries (or age) make them less athletic. I think there is only so much one can do to adjust for past injuries and age, but there can be a lot done to just get you back into a nice stable mental space, especially if you have shown yourself capable of being there before.



I always remember Dubynk. When he was on the Oilers, I always thought he had it 'all', but wasn't putting it together. He got traded, and there were things leaked out from the acquiring teams how he had 'bad habits' and things to iron-out of his game. It wasn't until he suddenly became a Vezina goalie that the truth came out (as far as I remember anyway - think it came out afterwards). While playing behind Edmonton's defence, he learned not to trust them to do their jobs, and he ended up over-reacting and cheating. He simply got burned too many times, and without consciously thinking about it, he was overreacting and overplaying the position.


I forgot what goalie coach calmed him down, but in a better environment, Dubnyk 'settled' down, and trusted the defence in front of him again. His numbers dramatically improved to the point he won the Vezina.


Say what you will about the goalie coaches, etc... You may or may not be right about that. I think that the Flames were giving up way too many 'heart attack' chances, and these would be quick turnovers, and they would come after a long period of no shots against. Huska has stated that he wants to tweak the defensive system to decrease these chances against, and that a tweak that a lot of other teams incorporate already. I have no clue what that is, but IF it is effective, then I don't see why Markstrom can't get back to being such a tidy goalie. We forget that the year before we acquired him, that he was the ONLY goalie in the NHL that season to not give up a bad goal (clear line of sight, from distance, without having to move). You don't go from that to what we saw last season 'just because', especially when he wasn't injured.


I also don't think Sutter helped things, and maybe the pressure when things weren't going well just became unbearable. Let's see what Huska's changes brings, along with some roster movement, and some work that I am sure he will be putting in, ends up does for Markstrom's game. I would be more surprised if we don't see Markstrom bounce back noticeably than if he simply stays how he was last year. Maybe not 'Vezina finalist Markstrom', but he doesn't have to be. Just steady, #1 starter quality Markstrom. That's enough.