Dread Clawz
LAWSonic Boom
I agree its too early to label Markstrom anything, but even the staunchest Markstrom fan would have to be slightly concerned about how he has performed so far. It isn't going how we all expected right? If he was as good as we all thought he'd already be top 10 in the league?
I am slightly concerned, but I still think the bashing of Markstrom is way overboard. It's a joke some people are already calling him a bust. At 23 and with 41 GP. Yeah, ok guys. His game against the Blues was a very bad game. But. Half those shots, and half of all shots thrown at him this season pretty much, should never have gone in....because they should never have been allowed to come at him. If we had an actual NHL defense, Markstrom would be doing much better. Put him on L.A., Boston, Chicago, etc., and Markstrom's stats would be much better and he really wouldn't be being criticized at all. This team right now is a very bad place for a developing 23 year old goalie to be on. It's what I was afraid of in the off-season when we didn't upgrade the defense.
Markstrom clearly has to work on some things. He's not where we expected him to be at this point. However, that does not mean he's a bust. He still shows a ton of promise. He needs some refinement to bring his game to the next level. It's certainly achievable. It's not unheard of. He has the raw tools that 99.99999% of goalies would kill to have. He's 6'6", shaped like Gumby with lightning quick movements. He definitely has the potential to still be a very good NHL goalie. It's dumb to even think of giving up on him at this point. He may not ever be a top 10 goalie, although it's still possible, but he could still be a core piece of a SC team.
I don't really care if he gets sent to the AHL or stays up with the Panthers at this point. At least in the AHL he could regain some confidence.