Quoting: McGruff
Yeah Mark is younger but he's also a ton worse than Halak (whose doing well as a 34yr ol - your buddy Lou just hung them at 40).
Prime!? Lets be real, he's 2 or 3-years past that probably (has a bum knee and head issues if I recall).
So you'd sign J Mark at US$5/6Mil for 4/5/6 yrs?? (that's the rates being posted) - until he's 35/36?
yikes!
If I'm JB (and with all the dead 3rd/4th line money I've c o c k e d up) I'd save my $$$ for EP/QH etc. and sooner tank with the kids versus muddle-around the middle-of-the-pack and hope for 1st round playoff exits to please the blueberry Boss...
Halak is also in a more sheltered position, and is 35 years old. Next year he could fall off a cliff, and he has not played in a starter's role for a long time now. His stats on paper might be better, but he has also had considerably more time as a backup and has almost always been on contending teams. Markstrom has had those numbers on a bottom of the barrel team, and this year has been a top 10 goalie. Given the difference in games, right now, there's no comparing Markstrom to Halak, Khudobin or Greiss. He's obviously better (right now, career numbers are irrelevant with this signing)
Markstrom's best year has been this year. Goalies tend to prime later (28 - 33), so signing him at probably 4/5 years buys us 3 good years and possibly 1 or two bad ones. Still though, if we bring him back, I see it more likely that Seattle takes him next year, so there is little worry about his long term game. Losing that contract, as well as the 6M cap of Edler will allow plenty of room for those signings.