Canucks Young Guns

[Meds]

With the team playing decent the last few games, do you guys figure it’s a good idea to bring thatcher up and let him get a couple of starts? I’m leaning towards yes.

Is Utica playoff bound? If they are then you leave him there.

[rats19]

With the team playing decent the last few games, do you guys figure it’s a good idea to bring thatcher up and let him get a couple of starts? I’m leaning towards yes.

Is Utica playoff bound? If they are then you leave him there.

http://www.uticacomets.com/news/detail/ ... yoff-bound

We won’t see him this year....

[Hockey Widow]

Well the original plan was to have Demko play three full years in Utica, two being the starter. Then in his final year at Utica, call him up sporadically to be with the club , practice with the club, get a handful of games. This is why Nilsson has a two year deal. They didn’t want Demko as a back up, sitting a lot. They’d rather have him as a starter one more year in Utica.

Different management but this was how Schneider was developed.


Good arguments for either scenario. If Demko has a terrific playoff run and comes to camp wowing everyone then he’ll be a Canuck next year. If he doesn’t then look for him to start in Utica, waiting for that call up. If he does look ready then Benning will have no problem making room for him.

I think next season our team will improve but we ain’t going to improve that much that we’ll be fighting for a Cup. Given that, I’d prefer the Schneider development path for him. Let him play, and play a lot, and keep improving. Call him up 2,3,4,5, or however many times you can. After next season you have no choice anymore as he will need to clear waivers.

I look forward to seeing him in the NHL. And I’m ok with taking the slow boat to China.

[SKYO]

Dhaliwal said the team is analyzing if they should call up Demko for a game or two.

Rick Dhaliwal:
Been told there is still a chance that Thatcher Demko can be called up for a game or 2. It is still being discussed by the #Canucks.

And the Comets regular season goes on longer than the NHL, so the Comets can afford to send Demko to the NHL for a bit, which in turn will help the Canucks to gauge if Demko MIGHT be ready for full time backup duties next season OR the team will roll with two vets again next season.

I'd take a guess that the game(s) Demko would play would be vs the Coyotes on the road April 5, and maybe the Oilers game at home, the last game of the regular season April 7.

Then Demko will go back to play a couple Comets games before the playoffs, April 13 & 15, take a breather April 14 whoa they get 3 games all back to back? asinine.

[UWSaint]

Agreed, HW, that slow is the way with Demko.

Playing is the most important thing, and having a better team in front of you is a big deal.

I always wonder about proper goalie development. I think about Jonathan Bernier -- an 11th overall pick -- who was brought up after the CHL season concluded (burning a year), succeeded in the AHL, only to be a backup for years in the NHL with the Kings, playing okay when called upon, but kind of rusting away. When he was traded after playing less than 60 games for the Kings over 5 seasons (3 as the main backup), he returned an early 2d rounder, a tweener, and a guy (Scrivens) who had no business being in the NHL if you look at his technique and got a couple of contracts by virtue of a single good month in media central.

And with the trade, he was thrown into a bad situation in Toronto, stood on his head for a season, but the team wasn't good enough to make the playoffs even with that. Eventually, you see a zillion shots from high quality scoring positions and your confidence gets shot. He got worse each season; eventually he is more or less salary dump traded to the Ducks, where he was a back up, and then signed a Nillson-level 1 year deal with the Avs this year. With the Ducks and Avs, he saw some time due to injury with mixed (but not embarrassing) results.

Perhaps Bernier was developed too slowly..... I expect that if the Kings had traded him a season or two earlier, their returns would have been far greater. And if Bernier had gone anywhere but Toronto, he'd be much more likely to be a #1.

[SKYO]

In any case I'd move out Nilsson asap - who has been a disaster this season - and trade for a vet goalie who only has one year left or sign one of the vet UFA goalies avail...but with the expectation and planned development of Demko getting 15-20ish NHL games next season going up & down from the farm to the pros. Ultimately to prepare Demko for full time duty in 2019/20, then #1 goalie 2020/21. I liken this to the Andrei Vasilevskiy plan, who split two years with the AHL/NHL.

[Hockey Widow]

Dhaliwal said the team is analyzing if they should call up Demko for a game or two.

Rick Dhaliwal:
Been told there is still a chance that Thatcher Demko can be called up for a game or 2. It is still being discussed by the #Canucks.

And the Comets regular season goes on longer than the NHL, so the Comets can afford to send Demko to the NHL for a bit, which in turn will help the Canucks to gauge if Demko MIGHT be ready for full time backup duties next season OR the team will roll with two vets again next season.

I'd take a guess that the game(s) Demko would play would be vs the Coyotes on the road April 5, and maybe the Oilers game at home, the last game of the regular season April 7.

Then Demko will go back to play a couple Comets games before the playoffs, April 13 & 15, take a breather April 14 whoa they get 3 games all back to back? asinine.

The Comets have also locked up a playoff spot so they could afford to let Demko be with the Canucks until our season ends. Even if he just practices and travels with the team it would be a good move. Getting a game or two would be gravy.

[Meds]

I remember reading an interview with Schneider where he said that his development in the AHL took longer because everything had come easy to him through little leagues and college, and so when he got to the AHL he didn't put in the effort. He said it was the first time in his hockey life that he was told that he wasn't good enough, so he began putting in the effort. Essentially his first year in Manitoba was wasted, and it was reflected in his early call-ups to the Canucks.

Demko has played behind a weaker Comets team, and while he has not posted AHL numbers as good as Schneider's were in his first couple of seasons, he faced just a few more shots. His work ethic has apparently been outstanding.

So maybe he is ready to come up. The downside is that I don't really want either of our current goaltenders showing him the ropes. I would have preferred that we kept Miller for 2 more years and have Demko spend next year behind him.

[Puck]

Miller would be the ideal mentor, that's true, but that ship has sailed.

Other than demonstrating how to give up too many weak, early goals how bad a mentor is Markstrom? He can play well, and he's shown enough focus and effort to get to the point of being an NHL starting goalie. Are his training habits not solid enough to help a young goalie transition to the NHL?

[Mickey107]

I say let him do his own research and select someone he feels is right. The "Team" can pay.
I suggested this last year and was told no goalie should have that authority-?
Hey! I want him to succeed. Never mind want, he pretty much has to or we'd be f----d, no?

[Per]

After losing the first two relegation games to Karlskrona (the first 2-1 in ot, the other 1-0), Timrå finally got their act together and won the third game 5-2 in the best out of seven series. Dahlén, who had been held pointless in the first two games, eased into action with a second assist on the first goal, a first assist on the fourth one and then scored the fifth himself into an empty net.

Highlights footage has not been released yet, but I'll make sure to post it tomorrow.



Meanwhile the remaining quarter finals have been decided and Växjö's opponent in the semifinal will be Malmö. They are the worst team of the four remaining, but they play a very tight defence, so I'm not sure it's a good fit for Pettersson.
Let's hope he proves me wrong!

[Blob Mckenzie]

In any case I'd move out Nilsson asap - who has been a disaster this season - and trade for a vet goalie who only has one year left or sign one of the vet UFA goalies avail...but with the expectation and planned development of Demko getting 15-20ish NHL games next season going up & down from the farm to the pros. Ultimately to prepare Demko for full time duty in 2019/20, then #1 goalie 2020/21. I liken this to the Andrei Vasilevskiy plan, who split two years with the AHL/NHL.

There’s zero reason to bring in another backup goalie unless Demko seizes the spot. The team will be lucky to hit 80 points next year, yet you want to punt the backup goalie ASAP. Makes a ton of sense.

[SKYO]

In any case I'd move out Nilsson asap - who has been a disaster this season - and trade for a vet goalie who only has one year left or sign one of the vet UFA goalies avail...but with the expectation and planned development of Demko getting 15-20ish NHL games next season going up & down from the farm to the pros. Ultimately to prepare Demko for full time duty in 2019/20, then #1 goalie 2020/21. I liken this to the Andrei Vasilevskiy plan, who split two years with the AHL/NHL.

There’s zero reason to bring in another backup goalie unless Demko seizes the spot. The team will be lucky to hit 80 points next year, yet you want to punt the backup goalie ASAP. Makes a ton of sense.

Nilsson, besides his two shutouts this season he's atrocious bro 3.52 GAA??

His last 10 games goals against.
4, 3, 4, 3, 5, 5, 1!, 4, shutout!, 5

He'll be good to have if you want another tank season, but if you want the team to improve you gotta move Nilsson out.

[Blob Mckenzie]

In any case I'd move out Nilsson asap - who has been a disaster this season - and trade for a vet goalie who only has one year left or sign one of the vet UFA goalies avail...but with the expectation and planned development of Demko getting 15-20ish NHL games next season going up & down from the farm to the pros. Ultimately to prepare Demko for full time duty in 2019/20, then #1 goalie 2020/21. I liken this to the Andrei Vasilevskiy plan, who split two years with the AHL/NHL.

There’s zero reason to bring in another backup goalie unless Demko seizes the spot. The team will be lucky to hit 80 points next year, yet you want to punt the backup goalie ASAP. Makes a ton of sense.

Nilsson, besides his two shutouts this season he's atrocious bro 3.52 GAA??

His last 10 games goals against.
4, 3, 4, 3, 5, 5, 1!, 4, shutout!, 5

He'll be good to have if you want another tank season, but if you want the team to improve you gotta move Nilsson out.

Lol play with numbers and remove his good games. Makes sense. Birdbones has 4 goals in his last 5 games when it doesn’t matter and had 2 in the first 23 when you guys were planning a parade route with a slightly above .500 team. But hey continue to pick on a backup goalie with one year left at 2.5 million and ignore the two wet shits making 10.5 million (with trade protection) for the next three or four years and hoarding top 6 ice time all the while rewarding the fans with some of the softest, most uninspired play since Roman Oksiuta and Josef Beranek. Carry on.

[Strangelove]

you guys were planning a parade route

Alcohol induced hallucinations?