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Woohoo, I love to have Finns in the team! Great deal for the canucks
Confirmed with Link: Canucks Sign G Kevin Lankinen to 1y/0.875m Contract
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David Bruce Banner
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Solid goaltending depth is proving to be more and more important in an era where we have giant goalies constantly in danger of blowing out knees and hips.
Coaches are still very reticent to manage the work load of a goaltender who has a hot hand.
Hopefully, last year showed Tocchet and Allvin that they need to ease off a bit on Demko. And they can do so by having some reliable options that they aren't afraid to play.
Coaches are still very reticent to manage the work load of a goaltender who has a hot hand.
Hopefully, last year showed Tocchet and Allvin that they need to ease off a bit on Demko. And they can do so by having some reliable options that they aren't afraid to play.
PuckMunchkin
Very Nice, Very Evil!
Legend has it that if you say "Jake Virtanen" three times in front of a mirror in a candel lit room, you can hear him turning a corner somewhere in midtier hockey in Europe.
DeSmith had a good year last year, barring a couple stinkers. He started 27 games but a good chunk of that was once Demko was already hurt. I expect Lankinen to be better than DeSmith, but hope he is given a healthy run of games even when Demko is back to full strength. Between Lanky and Silly I'd like to see them start 35-40 regular season games at least.
TruGr1t
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DeSmith and Lankinen had pretty comparable statistical years, actually. I’d say they are similar in terms of being reliable backup types, but obviously Lankinen is materially younger.
Clearly prefer to have Lankinen on this contract versus DeSmith’s AAV and term.
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Over-depth signing which basically means we’ll get a free 3rd round pick from a desperate team in a month when Demko returns, either by trading Lankinen or Silovs.
Only until Demko is ready, at which point they send Silovs down, or am I missing something?
I have been critical of DeSmith more than most here, but I think DeSmith's stats were worse than Lankinen's last year.
I've said this before. The ideal backup goalie can come in cold after sitting out a while and give the team a good start and be able to handle somewhere between 8-15 consecutive start / games as the #1 should the #1 goalie be injured. This is separate from a 1A/1B type who you can rely upon to split starts.
I feel that DeSmith had a good start here (as did the rest of the team) and he fulfilled the duty of playing well and giving Demko a scheduled rest. He played poorly when he was tasked with filling in as the #1 until Demko returned. This also isn't a fluke. DeSmith had similar failings in Pittsburgh. He's not a 1A/1B guy and can't be relied upon to fill in as a starter for a significant period of time.
I actually think DeSmith is a bit better in coming in cold and giving the #1 a scheduled rest but Lankinen is better if you need a goalie to carry the load for a bit.
I suppose that we have liked Kevin for a while. We wanted Kevin when we signed Collin two years ago.
I'm not sure about that they will trade anyone. (1) there is always the likelihood that one of the goaltenders is hurt on any given day and (2) I think the plan is to get Silovs a lot of game action and I believe he is waiver exempt. I think they want to get him to 50 games this year. He did a competent job in the playoffs but ultimately he still needs a lot of seasoning. That is only going to come with minutes.
Didnt want to pay over $800,000 for this guy. What a disaster this is 
Thanks to Kevin Woodly, we now know exactly what the injury is to Demko and which muscle behind the knee is affected. But having said that, it's still clear as mud when the injury might actually heal. Sounds to me like like the Canucks won't be counting on him to start the season--hence the Lankinen signing.
The only issue is what happens if and when, Demko is 100 percent. They currently have five goalies, three at the NHL-level and two guys in Abbotsford. And of course Ty Young makes it 'six'.....but I suppose he could start the year in Kalamazoo. Still, that's at least one goalie too many. Can't believe the Canucks would carry three goalies on the NHL roster for very long.
The only issue is what happens if and when, Demko is 100 percent. They currently have five goalies, three at the NHL-level and two guys in Abbotsford. And of course Ty Young makes it 'six'.....but I suppose he could start the year in Kalamazoo. Still, that's at least one goalie too many. Can't believe the Canucks would carry three goalies on the NHL roster for very long.
TruGr1t
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PuckMunchkin
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Nucker101
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if demko isnt ready 100 percent for a few months. run with lankienen/silovs. whoever gets on a hot run gets most of the starts until they pull a stinker or is tired.
PuckMunchkin
Very Nice, Very Evil!
I wonder if Silovs' camp will push for an NHL position like Demko did. Similar circumstances: 23 years old, two AHL seasons, Demko put up great numbers in the AHL while Silovs faced NHL playoff competition.
They might. Though, I expect the organization would make an argument that they don't want to guarantee him a NHL job for the entire year as that may not be the best for his development. He needs game time. His AHL numbers have been fine but not dominant or anything.
However, I think we know that at least for the start of the season he is going to be in the NHL. And he will likely be given the chance to compete with Lankinen to see who will be carrying the bulk of the load while Demko is out.
TruGr1t
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I think this is an odd position for him to take, honestly. His numbers are just not that good. Yes, he won some playoff games behind basically an elite defensive team, but he hasn't posted anything resembling a track record to "demand" NHL games. Comparing him to Demko is somewhat laughable at this stage, who posted a .922 SV% over 46 AHL games before he made the show. He can certainly earn them if he comes in and plays well enough, but there's no reason to keep him in the NHL just because he wants it.
