The Vancouver Canucks have plenty of difficult decisions to make ahead of free agency, but their first order of business is to figure out what’s happening with goalie Jacob Markstrom.
The 30-year-old was by far Vancouver’s most valuable player in 2019-20, prior to the season suspension. But Markstrom will likely want $5 million-plus annually on his next contract, and the cap-strapped Canucks might not be willing to do that.
If the Canucks let Markstrom leave in free agency, they’ll have to find a suitable veteran to take some of the pressure off of 24-year-old Thatcher Demko.