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That doesn’t mean the new coach is declaring the 27-year-old his starter, but it certainly echoes the comments of general manager Jim Benning earlier in the week that Markstrom possesses the skill set necessary to one day command the crease on a nightly basis.

“I think he’s a guy who is a potential No. 1 goalie in the NHL,” Green says over the phone from his off-season home in Southern California.

“He’s a competitor. You look at good goalies. It’s the same thing with Miller. Guys that are No. 1 goalies have a bit of a demeanor to them. They’re confident, they believe in themselves not in a cocky way, but they have leadership qualities within them. When I look at Marky — and it’s the same way I look at Miller — I see that. Obviously, I know Markstrom better than Miller, and I know he’s got that drive and that competitiveness. He’s not a guy that just wants to play in the NHL as a back-up. He wants to be a starter.”

Photo by Tina Russell/Observer-Dispatch via AP / PNG

Green rode Markstrom to an appearance in the American Hockey League Final when the two were together in Utica in 2015, so there is a pre-existing bond of trust in place. But until Green knows his options between the pipes, it’s impossible to project Markstrom’s workload. That was something the two discussed shortly after Green was hired in mid-April.

“I’ve talked to Jacob,” he explains. “We had a good a conversation.”

Green reached out to Miller, too, to get a better sense of where the veteran netminder stands as far his future is concerned, but contends he doesn’t know where Miller plans to play next season.