Canucks: Why Thatcher Demko’s game management is vital next season

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Goaltenders will sustain injuries.

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It’s not just a rite of passage in a position that places a tremendous strain on knees, hips and groins.

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It’s how the NHL game has evolved to a degree where puck tracking, post-to-post movements and rebound reactions must be accomplished in a split second.

And there is also the physical toll of players crashing the crease or jamming the posts that invite ailments, even though goalies are leaner and stronger.

Which brings us to Thatcher Demko and his multi-layered challenge for next season.

The Vancouver Canucks starter is a Vezina Trophy finalist because his body of work in 51 regular-season games was superb. Demko posted a career-defining 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts. He also established a personal best saves percentage of .918 that was only bettered by Vezina favourite Connor Hellebuyck.

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However, Demko, 28, suffered two injuries to start debate about how he should be managed next season with rookie Arturs Silovs, 23, serving as his back-up, while Casey DeSmith, 32, is a departing unrestricted free agent.

And when Demko was sidelined in the playoff opener, it brought rest and recover and load management back into focus because the driven Demko isn’t good at being a spectator.
Especially in the postseason and trying to have mind and body in sync to be a Game 7 consideration against the Edmonton Oilers.

“It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve had to go through as a player — not being able to play,” Demko said in his year-end address. “We’ve been through some tough years here and it was tough watching. I was close to coming back and looking at being ready for the next series.”

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Demko logged a career-high 64 games in 2021-22, and logic would dictate that less of the net would be more prudent to guard against fatigue and injury.

The Canucks also had a practice goalie in Roman Basran this season to encourage rest days, but keeping Demko from the cage is a hard sell.

“That’s really not up to me,” said Demko. “I’ll sit down with (goalie coach Ian Clark) and the rest of the coaching staff and evaluate the best way of moving forward with that kind of thing.”

Rest and recovery are imperative. The Canucks jammed seven road games into 13 days in January and five into seven in February. Demko responded by winning eight-straight games to start 2024.

Then came the knee injury March 5 that sidelined him for 14 games, and the other ailment in the opener of the Nashville Predators series that ended his season. Both were suffered on impact.

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“Maybe I can tweak a couple of things, systems wise,” said Demko. “But I’m not going re-invent my game or anything. I put a lot of work in during the summer and the season, maintenance wise.

“And that’s part of the frustration when something like that (injury) happens when you know you put in the work so it doesn’t happen. It’s a physical sport and anyone can get hurt, but obviously goalies have different injuries, and it’s something you have to deal with.”

There was Game 1 video evidence of pinching Predators defenceman Jeremy Lauzon being checked from behind by Canucks grinder Phil Di Giuseppe and launching himself into Demko, which drove the stopper into the back of the net.

However, it was being jammed on the post that did the season-ending damage.

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Former Canucks goalie Kirk McLean had cartilage procedures on both knees during his well-travelled, 873-game career with five NHL teams. He marvels at how goalies have grown and what they are asked to do in today’s game. And it even transcends to younger prospects.

“With the height that goalies are now, they’re like basketball players, and they’re not meant to be doing what they’re doing,” said McLean. “A 6-foot-7 or 6-foot-8 goalie in the butterfly moving laterally, back and forth and in and out, and pushing off with the hips, it’s pretty tough.

“And they’re doing this at young ages. I don’t know if they’re allowing their muscles to develop. I hear stories of 16-years-olds that are getting hip operations, whether they’ve been injured or preventive.”

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Meanwhile, regardless of Demko’s setbacks, the crease is in good shape. Silovs put up strong AHL numbers and was ready for “The Show”, and that will allow Nikita Tolopilo, 24, to carry the load in Abbotsford.

Silovs posted his first NHL postseason shutout in Game 6 against the Predators and went 5-5 in the playoffs with a 2.91 GAA and .898 saves percentage. He was also 3-0-1 in the regular season with a 2.47 GAA and .881 percentage.

“It was a great opportunity for me,” said Silovs, a restricted free agent. “It was phenomenal to get all the experience and there are always things to improve, but for a goalie it’s more of a mental game.

“It’s being calm and composed. It makes your game a lot easier.”

bkuzma@postmedia.com

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