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Thatcher Demko

Snapshots: Three Stars, Bjugstad, Beijing

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It was a western Canada sweep of the NHL’s Three Stars for this week, as young Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko took home the league’s top honors while Edmonton Oilers superstar teammates Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl earned the second and third stars, respectively. Demko, who the Canucks are hoping can establish himself as their starter of the future this season, certainly played the part this week. He won all three of his starts, allowing just three goals total – one per game – on 103 shots. A 1.00 GAA and .971 save percentage are more than worthy enough of first star status. Meanwhile, McDavid and Draisaitl put up monstrous numbers that have somehow become commonplace for both. The duo combined for seven goals and 24 points in just four games. Somehow the Oilers won just two of their four contests.

  • Nick Bjugstad’s wallet is now $5,000 lighter. The NHL Department of Player Safety announced that the Minnesota Wild center has received the maximum fine allowable for cross checking. The incident in question occurred on Sunday against the Colorado Avalanche. Defenseman Ryan Graves was the victim, taking a high cross check early in the second period. While the intent of the check was questionable at best, as Bjugstad battled Graves in front of the net, there is no denying that he delivered the check to Graves’ head area. That was all it took for the big pivot to earn a maximum fine.
  • When the NHL returns to the Winter Olympics next year, they will do so on a more familiar ice surface. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun relays word from IIHF President Rene Fasel that the ice surface that will be used in Beijing will be North American in size. The IIHF has previously discussed using these smaller rink dimensions in competition after exclusively using the international dimensions in the past and the 2022 Winter Olympics will be the debut of this change. This does not imply that all future Olympic competitions will be played on a North American surface, but it does open the door for IIHF competition to be played on varying rink sizes, possibly as decided by the hosts.

Snapshots: Reverse Retro, Holtby, Tomasino

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The NHL may have lost a lot of revenue when they were forced to hold the playoffs in empty buildings, but they’re about to make a heck of a lot in merchandise sales. The league and Adidas revealed their designs for the Reverse Retro jerseys today to plenty of excitement (and disgust) from fans all over the world. Early favorites online seem to be the Colorado Avalanche’s Nordiques-based throwback, a return to green for the New Jersey Devils, and an homage to the North Stars by the Minnesota Wild.

Feelings seem a bit more mixed on the return of Wildwing for the Anaheim Ducks and for many of the other throwback uniforms. A healthy debate is surely what the league was hoping for with the new threads as they try to recoup some financial losses.

  • Who will be in net for the Vancouver Canucks when they first slip on their new alternate jersey? Speculation on who will be Vancouver’s starter this season continues after the team signed Braden Holtby in the offseason. Satiar Shah of Sportsnet believes that it will be Holtby over Thatcher Demko to start the year at least, given the team invested $8.6MM over two seasons in the veteran netminder. It is important to remember though that the Canucks back-loaded Holtby’s contract heavily, meaning he’ll make only $2.9MM in 2020-21. With the Seattle Kraken looming and their expansion draft scheduled for next summer, Holtby could end up only playing a single year in Vancouver. Whether he’s the starter on opening day remains to be seen, but Demko will certainly be battling for the spot after posting an .985 save percentage in four playoff appearances.
  • Philip Tomasino doesn’t want to just play for Team Canada at the upcoming World Juniors and then return to junior, he wants to play for the Nashville Predators this season. The 19-year-old forward spoke with Adam Vingan of The Athletic recently and stated quite clearly that he feels he is ready to take that next step to play professionally at the highest level. Tomasino, the 24th-overall pick in 2019, scored 100 points in just 62 games this season in the OHL and is off to the WJC selection camp for the next month where he’ll battle a loaded forward group for a final roster spot.

Morning Notes: Kreider, Kapanen, Muzzin, Markstrom

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The New York Rangers seemingly avoided disaster last night, as star Chris Kreider suffered an injury that appears to have looked worse than it actually was. A prone Kreider took an accidental knee to the head from teammate Mika Zibanejad early in the second period of Saturday’s match-up with the Detroit Red Wings and he did not return to the game. Head coach David Quinn, like any who witnessed the incident, was fearful that Kreider may have suffered a serious head injury. However, he told the media, including The New York Posts’ Brett Cygralis, that he felt much better after seeing Kreider after the game. “That looked like a really severe blow to the head,” Quinn said. “He wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I thought he would be. After the game ended, we talked, and it’s a lot better than I anticipated.” Quinn stated definitively that Kreider did not suffer a concussion, but the team is considering him day-to-day nonetheless. Kreider is simultaneously the best trade chip on the rental market and one of the Rangers’ most important pieces as they continue to stay relevant in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Fans of both trading Kreider or keeping and re-signing him know that a serious injury at this point in the year would have been a nightmare in either scenario. Fortunately, it sounds as though Kreider will be fine and could be back in action in no time.

  • Another surprise development from Saturday night was the absence of Kasperi Kapanen in the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup. Kapanen was made a healthy scratch by head coach Sheldon Keefe, but prior to game time there was no word as to why. Speaking to the media, including TSN’s Kristen Shilton, after the game, Keefe clarified the situation with Kapanen. Keefe stated that Kapanen was a healthy scratch, essentially serving a one-game suspension for what he called an issue of “internal accountability’”. He added that it was a one-time thing and the decision was only made yesterday morning, but he would not go into any more detail. More information may emerge when Kapanen has media availability on Monday. In the meantime, speculation has begun that Kapanen, a frequent name on the rumor mill, could be on the outs with Keefe and his staff. With the rest of the Maple Leafs playing well since Keefe took over, perhaps Kapanen will end up being the winger dealt out of Toronto at some point.
  • Impending free agent defenseman Jake Muzzin would like to stay in Toronto, but Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston says that it is not that simple. Johnston hears that early extension talks have been difficult due to the Maple Leafs’ cap constraints and the potential market value of Muzzin. With St. Louis’ Alex Pietrangelo and Boston’s Torey Krug both considered likely candidates to sign extensions, Muzzin would enter the conversation as the top defender available on the open market this summer. While he may be willing to take a slight discount to stay in Toronto, the potential to command a top-of-the-market contract if he opts for free agency will certainly play a major role in extension talks. The Maple Leafs may be unwilling or unable to pay him even close to what the top UFA defenseman will get this summer.
  • Vancouver Canucks goaltender Jacob Markstrom is another name who has made it known that he would like to re-sign, though acknowledging that he could have considerable value in the free agent market. Markstrom, an All-Star this season, has quietly positioned himself to be one of the best available in a weak goalie market should he opt for that route. However, Markstrom would prefer to stay in Vancouver and he and the team have been working toward an extension, Johnston reports. However, with Thatcher Demko showing NHL ability this season and Michael DiPietro also in the pipeline, the Canucks will be wary of going overboard on salary or term to keep Markstrom. The contract offer that keeps coming up is of a two-year term, keeping Markstrom in Vancouver through the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. This would give the team another year to decide whether Demko is the real deal or if they are better off moving forward with Markstrom, as either would could be a tempting target for the Seattle expansion franchise. Johnston’s colleague Elliotte Friedman adds that, as for salary, the most recent offer to Markstrom is rumored to be similar to the two-year, $9MM deal signed by Arizona’s Darcy Kuemper in October.

Canucks Notes: Trade Target, Markstrom, Sutter

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The Vancouver Canucks are exceeding expectations this season and, after a brief slide, are back to their winning ways with twelve points in their past ten games. The team is currently sitting in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, but trail Calgary and Edmonton in the division by just four points with two games in hand, a difference of just .025 in points percentage. Rather than take this surprise success for granted, GM Jim Benning plans to take advantage. Speaking with Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre on Wednesday, Benning said that he is targeting a top-six scoring winger before the NHL Trade Deadline. He did qualify his comments by adding that the deal must “make sense”, but did not say exactly what that meant. With nine forwards carrying cap hits of  $3MM+ through 2020-21, a trade that makes sense for Vancouver is likely a rental deal. The team is also unlikely to get into the bidding for a star like Taylor Hall if it causes too much of a mortgage on their future in a year where a Stanley Cup run would take a fair amount of luck even with their solid play thus far. Potential targets who would nicely on the wing in Vancouver this season could include Vladislav Namestnikov, Alex Galchenyuk, Tyler Toffoli, or perhaps even Chris Kreider. There is still a lot of time left before the deadline and Vancouver’s play between now and then will dictate just how willing Benning in his to make a big deal.

  • Benning also stated in the interview that he plans to formally open up extension talks with starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom soon. Benning did not add much detail, and the Canucks’ interest in retaining Markstrom has previously been reported, but Benning did let slip one new wrinkle in the story. Benning stated that part of the reason that Vancouver would like to re-sign Markstrom was the impact that it would have on their protection scheme for the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Each team can only protect one goalie and must expose an eligible goalie who is under contract or team control (RFA) in 2021. Thatcher Demko would fit this description, but the team is likely hesitant to expose their potential future starter. As such, the team will likely eye a contract of at least two years with Markstrom to ensure they have a sacrificial lamb to offer up to Seattle. Whether or not the expansion team would have interest remains to be seen, but Markstrom will certainly draw interest before then if he hits the open market this summer. It seems Benning and company will try their hardest to prevent that.
  • Expected to miss just two weeks, a month later Brandon Sutter still has yet to return to the Vancouver lineup. The team has opted to scratch him in each of their past two games despite Sutter being medically cleared, as The Province’s Patrick Johnston writes that the team is being cautious and easing the veteran center back into action. This careful handling of Sutter’s health may not end any time soon either. Johnston believes that it could be a case of “load management” for Sutter this season. The defensive forward has struggled with groin injuries in the past and it is a notoriously lingering condition in hockey, so Sutter’s recent groin strain is nothing to take lightly. Expect Sutter, who was playing some of the best hockey of his Vancouver tenure before getting injured, to miss some games here and there and potentially see some fluctuations in his ice time as the Canucks manage his pain and try to keep him fresh for a hopeful playoff run..

 

Thatcher Demko Suffers Concussion

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The Vancouver Canucks have recalled Michael DiPietro from the minor leagues once again, and this time might be for a bit longer of a stay. The team announced today that Thatcher Demko suffered a concussion in practice yesterday.

Demko, 24, is part of a tandem this season in Vancouver alongside Jacob Markstrom and has gone 7-4-1 through his 12 starts. Though his .906 save percentage isn’t incredible, the fact that he’s been able to hang in the NHL is a good sign after Demko patiently waited for his opportunity.

A high draft pick (36th overall in 2014) and star in the minor leagues, Demko has been seen as the goaltender of the future for the Canucks for years. While Markstrom is a stabilizing presence in the crease, he’s also an unrestricted free agent after this season and could be expendable if Demko and DiPietro each prove they are a legitimate option moving forward. The concussion certainly doesn’t help the evaluation of Demko, but it might give the team a better look at DiPietro on a short-term basis.

Vancouver Canucks Activate Ferland, Beagle, And Markstrom

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The Vancouver Canucks will be a lot closer to full strength when they take the ice this afternoon. The team has announced that forwards Micheal Ferland and Jay Beagle have been activated from the injured reserve, while goaltender Jacob Markstrom has been activated from the non-roster list following a leave of absence. The returns come just days after Antoine Roussel made his season debut after overcoming injury as well.

Ferland’s return to the lineup will be the greatest change in status quo for the Canucks. A free agent addition coming off a career year, Ferland suffered a concussion just 12 games into the season and has been on the IR since November 1st. The physical winger has just five points on the year, but recorded 40 points in 71 games last year, including a career high in assists. If he remains healthy, Ferland would be on pace for 65 games this regular season and the Canucks hope that might be enough to gt him back into that 40-point range. At the very least, Ferland will provide a physical presence and an injection of energy for the Vancouver forward corps

Beagle returns to the lineup at the earliest possible time, just ten days after he was placed on IR on November 27th. Yet, the veteran has been beat up for much of the early season, missing a total of nine games thus far due to a lower-body injury. Beagle’s scoring numbers may be down to begin the year, but he will be a welcome addition nonetheless. The experienced two-way forward is a leader and difference-maker on the ice for the Canucks, particularly at the face-off dot. Despite missing considerable time, Beagle remains second on the team in face-off wins thanks to a whopping 60% success rate. He is also a key piece to the team’s penalty kill, which has struggled in his absence and slipped into the bottom half of the league.

Markstrom returns to the team after being given the week off to attend his father’s memorial service in his native Sweden. Thatcher Demko will get the start again today, with Markstrom likely to return to the crease on Tuesday. Markstrom has played well this season with a .913 save percentage and 2.70 GAA and he and Demko have combined to provide consistent goaltending for Vancouver. The question this season will continue to be whether the Canucks feel they need to re-sign Markstrom, arguably the second-best keeper on the  free agent market, or instead see Demko as ready to take over the starter’s role.

Even with this trio back in action, the Canucks are not fully healthy. The team was forced to place Alexander Edler and Tyler Graovac on injured reserve earlier this week, while Brandon Sutter and Tyler Motte remain there as well. There has been little news on a return from any of the group, although the initial timeline for Motte’s injury should have him back sooner rather than later. Additionally, with three additions to the active roster, the Canucks have sent down forward Zack MacEwen, who re-joins the AHL’s Utica Comets.

Minor Transactions: 10/14/19

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Get ready for a full day of hockey. Monday’s lineup features four games being held at 1:00pm home team local time, as well as 3:00pm, 5:00pm, and 7:30pm. Among the story lines to watch are the Wild, Devils, and Blackhawks seeking their first wins of the season, the Avalanche and Oilers looking to stay perfect, and a collision of the league’s two stingiest teams, the Ducks and Bruins. Also to watch for are the roster moves made to open up the third week of the season. Keep up with all of the action here:

  • The Ottawa Senators continue to routinely shuffle their forward group around early this season. After giving youngsters like Drake Batherson, Filip Chlapik, and Vitaly Abramov a chance already, the team has recalled a pair of veterans from AHL Belleville. The team announced that Nick Paul and Jordan Szwarz have been promoted to Ottawa. While Paul is a familiar name to Sens fans, Szwarz is a new free agent addition. The long-time AHL veteran and former Providence Bruins captain has played in 47 NHL games in his career, split between Arizona and Boston. His reliable two-way energy game could be more of the boost that the coaching staff feels they need right now rather than the offensive focus of the team’s top young prospects. This recall would also seem to indicate that there is a chance that Mikkel Boedker and Artem Anisimov are not ready to return to the lineup today as expected.
  • After flipping Kyle Capobianco to the AHL for Ilya Lyubushkin on Saturday, the Coyotes are now flopping. CapFriendly reports that Capobianco has been called back up from the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners. The move comes on the heels of an injury to Niklas Hjalmarsson on Saturday that will likely push either Capobianco or Lyubushkin into a starting role for the time being.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a somewhat surprising switch. The team announced that 19-year-old rookie defenseman Rasmus Sandin has been sent down to the AHL’s Marlies, while free agent addition and veteran blue liner Kevin Gravel has been recalled in his place. Sandin, considered by many to be Toronto’s top D prospect, had skated in all six games for the team thus far and recorded a pair of assists, strong possession numbers, and an even plus/minus rating. Although, Sandin’s ice time has been limited and his special teams role has been non-existent, so this could be about putting him in a better position to develop in the AHL. However, this may be more about adding Gravel than subtracting Sandin. The Leafs have surrendered at least three goals in four of their six games so far, including a 7-3 drubbing by the Tampa Bay Lightning. They may simply be looking to tighten things up on the back end and stay-at-home specialist Gravel can help. Gravel has recorded 137 blocked shots and 124 hits in 106 NHL games with the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers.
  • Steven Oleksy worked his way up from the ECHL ranks early in his career and has been on an NHL contract every year since 2012. However, that streak was snapped this summer when the 33-year-old seemingly could not attract another two-way deal. His bad luck now continues, as the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins announced that they have released Oleksy from his tryout agreement. The veteran of 73 NHL games and more than 400 AHL games saw his production fall off somewhat last year in a season split between the San Diego Gulls and Toronto Marlies, but is simply looking for the opportunity to show he can still contribute. In all likelihood, Oleksy will land on his feet elsewhere in pro hockey sooner rather than later.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have granted starter Jacob Markstrom  a leave of absence to attend to a family matter. He is expected to re-join the team later this week. In the meantime, Vancouver announced that Zane McIntyre has been recalled to serve as the backup to Thatcher Demko. McIntyre, a free agent addition, has made eight NHL appearances in his career with the Boston Bruins, all back in 2016-17. Ironically, his lone call-up last season was to serve as backup to Jaroslav Halak while Tuukka Rask took a leave of absence himself. McIntyre was a star at the college level and has strong AHL numbers, but at 27 years old he no longer a prospect that the Canucks would be trying to force into play time. Expect them to lean on Demko until Markstrom returns.

Canucks Sign Thatcher Demko To Two-Year Extension

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The Vancouver Canucks have several restricted free agents to get under contract before next season, but they’ve managed to get a prominent one done early on this off-season. The Canucks announced today that they have signed goaltender Thatcher Demko to a two-year contract extension. The new deal carries a $1.05MM AAV in each of the two seasons, a value that could prove to be a bargain for the promising netminder. On top of that, the 23-year-old will again be an RFA at the conclusion of this contract, making this very much a risk-free move by Vancouver.

Demko, a second-round pick out of Boston College in 2014, has been slow to come along, but has finally started to live up to his draft stock. The talented young keeper appeared in only on NHL game in 2017-18 (and struggled), but made nine appearances this year to the tune of a .913 save percentage. That alone is good for a rookie goalie, but even more promising when paired with three years of strong AHL numbers. While Demko has good size at 6’4″, he is first and foremost and athletic goalie. He doesn’t need to use his reflexes to compensate for his stature, but has those next-level instincts all the same. Yet, he also has composure that stands out against other young goalies. With continued coaching, Demko could be a top goalie in the NHL

Demko has been a rising star since Boston College through AHL Utica and will now take on a full-time roll in Vancouver. The question remaining is how soon he will be expected to be the starter. Despite his ample ability, Demko’s window may be small. Current starter Jacob Markstrom is signed through next season; given Demko’s reasonable salary, the team may opt to extend Markstrom as well if Demko cannot assume starter duty in 2019-20. On the other end of the spectrum, if Demko can’t take over the reins in the next few years, prospect Michael DiPietro could be gunning for the starter’s job before too long. DiPietro, 19, was a third-round pick in 2017 and has quickly risen to elite status among goalie prospects. DiPietro was forced into an unfortunate NHL debut this season, but has otherwise been remarkable in the OHL and at the World Juniors. Demko will have a fire under him to play at his best and prove himself to be starter material as soon as possible, so that the Canucks don’t get any ideas about Markstrom, DiPietro, or anyone else as a better long-term solution in net.

Jacob Markstrom Hopes To Sign Extension In Vancouver

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The Vancouver Canucks have a pair of young goaltending prospects coming through the system in Thatcher Demko and Michael DiPietro that would make other teams envious. Both have the potential to contribute at the NHL level, and after adding Jake Kielly recently the team has strengthened their depth at the position. Still, the best goaltender in the organization right now is Jacob Markstrom, who posted another strong season and has established himself as a legitimate starter in the league.

Markstrom, 29, has just a single year left on his current deal however and can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2020. With the talent coming through the pipeline for Vancouver they may choose to go in a different direction, but Markstrom certainly hopes to stay. That’s what his agent Pat Morris told Sportsnet radio (via Rick Dhaliwal) today:

I have had discussions with Jacob and he calls Vancouver home. He would like to be a part of it long term. That’s where his instructions will lean, to try and get something done.

It takes two to get a deal done, it takes term and it takes dollars. The player has to be willing and Jacob has enjoyed his time in Vancouver and wants it to continue.

What that deal would look like isn’t clear at this point, as there are plenty of things to consider from Vancouver’s perspective. First and foremost is how much an extension would cost, given Markstrom is already making $3.67MM next season. Committing to a long-term deal would essentially be handing him the reins for the Canucks’ upcoming window of contention, even though it is not yet clear if he can really be a standout at the position. Markstrom’s .912 save percentage the last two years is solid, but he’s shown a lack of consistency at times.

The other thing is the upcoming expansion draft, in which you can only protect one goaltender. Markstrom and Demko will both be eligible for the draft, meaning the team may want to move on from one of them before they’re at risk of being snapped up by the Seattle franchise. That won’t be happening until 2021, but it will certainly figure into the decision making process this summer when it comes to a potential Markstrom extension.

Either way, the Canucks don’t necessarily have to make that decision right away. The team is expecting to compete for a playoff spot next season and will likely give Markstrom the first crack at taking them there, but any struggles could see Demko’s time come without hesitation.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Canucks Notes: Demko, Hutton, Schenn, Lockwood

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With the impressive play of Jacob Markstrom this season, the Vancouver Canucks have an interesting conundrum to face as the team suddenly may have themselves too much goaltending depth. The 29-year-old Markstrom has had another solid season as the Canucks’ starting goaltender, posting a winning record of 28-22-9 on a losing team, while posting a 2.76 GAA and a .913 save percentage.

However, Markstrom’s solid play raises some questions, according to the Vancouver Sun’s Patrick Johnston, who suggests that with his improved play, the team might want to consider trading from strength and consider moving top goaltending prospect Thatcher Demko this off-season. With another franchise goaltender in waiting with 19-year-old Michael DiPietro ready to go pro next season, the team could move Demko without significant loss. Demko has played in seven NHL games, and has played extremely well in five of those games. However, because of two poor outings, his .903 save percentage doesn’t look as impressive.

Regardless, the 23-year-old Demko would be high in demand from teams looking for a future franchise goaltender. Johnston suggests it’s a similar situation to when the team opted to trade goaltender Cory Schneider back in 2013 for a first-round pick, which eventually turned out to be Bo Horvat.

  • The Athletic’s Harman Dayal (subscription required) writes that Vancouver should consider moving defenseman Ben Hutton. The 25-year-old blue liner seems to have returned to the form he showed in an impressive rookie year back in the 2015-16 season. After two seasons of struggles, Hutton has once again proven to be a top-four defenseman. Regardless, Dayal suggests that the 25-year-old’s success might be the best the team will ever see and they might be better off moving on from him now while his value is at its highest.
  • The Canucks are close to signing defenseman Luke Schenn to a one-year contract extension, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman late last night on Hockey Night in Canada. Schenn, who came over to the Canucks in a January swap with the Anaheim Ducks for Michael Del Zotto, has fared well, showing energy and becoming a quick fan favorite in his 15 games with Vancouver. Schenn, who fell out of favor in Anaheim, is currently finishing out a one-year, $800K deal that he signed with the Ducks last offseason.
  • In the same commentary, Friedman also confirmed rumors that University of Michigan forward William Lockwood has told the Canucks that he intends to return to college for his senior year. The 20-year-old had a solid year with the Wolverines as he tallied 16 goals and 31 points in 36 games last season. The 2016 third-round pick out of Michigan could opt to become a unrestricted free agent at this point next season.

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