Jacob Markstrom actually plays much better than he gets credit for

The New Jersey Devils were desperate to finally improve their goaltending position. After years of guessing and testing to fill a spot many consider obsolete, Tom Fitzgerald finally put his strengths where his trade was, giving the Calgary Flames a top-10 protected first-round pick and Kevin Bahl for Jacob Markstrom.

The Devils reportedly attempted to sign Markstrom last season, but that deal was blocked by ownership. Who knows how different last season would be if the Devils got Markstrom in December or January, but there’s no point in crying over spilled milk. The Devils got their man this offseason, pairing him with Jake Allen, who they traded at the last trade deadline.

The deal appears to have worked out as the Devils played like one of the best teams in the league. Many fans would say that the Devils just needed average goaltending to compete, and they’re partially right. The Devils’ team save percentage this season is .901. That’s good for 10th place in the league. 21 teams in the NHL have a combined save percentage below .900.

Markstrom’s save percentage for all strengths is .902. That’s good for 36th in the league. But according to Natural Stat Trick, Markstrom ranks 20th out of 38 possible players when looking at goaltenders who have played at least 10 games. It’s still not the best, but it’s about what average people demand. Is average enough for what the Devils paid? Does that even matter?

A closer look at the numbers shows that Markstrom is actually playing better than a simple save percentage would suggest. The Devils defense plays so well on the penalty kill; Both he and Jake Allen have pretty terrible save percentages there (.867 and .862, respectively). The Devils only allowed Markstrom 60 penalty shots in 93 PK minutes. Nevertheless, Marktrom scored an above-average number of positive goals in these 93 minutes. He’s doing a little better than average, even if the numbers suggest otherwise.

Markstrom’s -4.35 GSAA is bad. We won’t pretend it’s anything else, but Markstrom is an interesting player whose exact number doesn’t tell the whole story. He allows several stinkers, but manages several miraculous saves in one game. Letting go of a relatively easy shot impacts the numbers more than making a Save of the Year candidate.

The biggest problem for Markstrom is how well Allen has played. His .917 save percentage behind the same defense shows that a player can be one of the best in the league. This is a legitimate criticism. Markstrom needs to be better, especially with his consistency against dangerous chances, but he’s far from a problem that needs to be addressed. The Devils have their goalie, and he will take them as far as they want.