<\/p>\n
Thatcher Demko is talking again, and after a season that turned into a long, painful waiting game, the Canucks and their fanbase needed to hear it.<\/p>\n
The 30-year-old goaltender appeared in just 20 games this season, finishing with a .895 save percentage and one shutout in a campaign that was largely defined by his absence.<\/p>\n
Kevin Lankinen took on the bulk of the work instead, logging 47 starts. He went 5-27 with a .875 SV%. That’s not a knock on Lankinen. That’s a reflection of how broken this team was in front of both of them.<\/p>\n
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Vancouver finished 25-49-8. Dead last in the NHL. A goal differential of -100.<\/p>\n
That number alone tells you everything. The Canucks weren’t close. They weren’t unlucky. They were the worst team in the league from start to finish.<\/p>\n
Head coach Adam Foote inherited a roster in freefall and spent the season trying to find out who he actually has. The answer, most nights, wasn’t encouraging.<\/p>\n
Demko’s return could be the clearest path back to relevance <\/p>\n
Elias Pettersson, the $11.6 million center, was held scoreless in his last 10 games, finishing with 15 goals in 74 appearances. When your franchise player looks like a passenger, the problems run deeper than goaltending.<\/p>\n
But a healthy Demko changes the math, at least at one end of the ice. His .895 SV% in limited action suggests the talent is still there. He’s not a project. He just needs games.<\/p>\n
–<\/a><\/p>\n The comparison that comes to mind is a concert pianist dealing with a hand injury. The technique doesn’t disappear. What disappears is the repetition, the rhythm, the ability to trust yourself under pressure again.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n That’s the real question surrounding Demko heading into next season. Not whether he can stop pucks. Whether he can get back to being the guy who makes a team feel safe on a nightly basis.<\/p>\n Brock Boeser finished the year at -48. Jake DeBrusk was one of the few genuine bright spots, with 23 goals and a strong second half. But the roster construction around Foote is a work in progress at best.<\/p>\n Demko being motivated is a start. Motivation doesn’t paper over a 100-goal differential, though. The Canucks need real decisions this offseason, not just optimism out of the rehab room.<\/p>\n Whether this core can be salvaged around a healthy Demko, or whether bigger moves are coming, that part is still wide open.<\/p>\n
Also read on Vancouver Hockey Daily :
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tShould the Canucks build their next roster around a healthy Thatcher Demko, or prioritize youth and a full rebuild?<\/p>\n
Jim Rutherford’s future in Vancouver suddenly in doubt after latest developments<\/a><\/p>\n
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